Danielle Server
Staff Writer
The Wyoming Cowboys, the cinderella team of the Mountain West championships, were stopped short of their historical, record breaking pursuit with a 82-89 loss against the Utah State Aggies in a tough battle to the end.
After a long season of struggle, something clicked with the Cowboys in the tournament. Despite only having two conference wins, the confidence and passion was palpable in the games against CSU and Nevada. Freshman Kwan Marbles had a breakout night against Nevada, leading the Cowboys to their second victory with a career high of 24 points. He was the first freshman since Josh Adams, another Colorado product, to have double digit points in two mountain west tournament games.
The Aggies came out running to start the first half with an instance field goal. Wyoming relied on their abilities behind the arc to keep the Cowboys in contention in the first few minutes of the half. Senior Jake Hendricks and Hunter Thompson came off hot, giving the Cowboys a boost by making up for over half of the points scored.
They had a hard time, however, not getting themselves into foul trouble. With the young freshman Kwan Marbles tallying on two fouls within just minutes, it would be a problem that would continue to haunt the Cowboys. The Aggies ended the half by going 7 for 12 behind the line thanks to the Cowboys aggressive attack on the floor.
Redshirt Sophomore Hunter Maldando kept the Cowboys rolling on, allowing the Cowboys within two points for most of the half. He nailed two baskets within the arc, but had an impressive one legged three that helped keep the Cowboys within arms reach.
However, Utah State’s Sam Merill, the best shooter in the league with an average of 19.2 points a game, led their offensive attack against the Cowboys. With his effort, the score gap increased to seven with six minutes left in the first half.
The Aggies also clamped down on defense, forcing the pace out of the Cowboys hands. Although coming out aggressively behind the three, the Cowboys tried to force their way to the rim after struggling against the pressure. The Cowboys fell behind by nine with three and a half minutes left in the half, and finished the half seven points behind the Aggies despite back to back baskets from Marbles.
To start the second half, the Aggies opened up with a quick basket to set the pace yet again. The Cowboy defense felt the blow of continuous foul trouble as Marbles received a technical foul. Despite having a breakout game the night before, he showed his immaturity still with two fouls in the first five minutes of the half.
Hendricks brought the Cowboys back into contention with a crucial three with fifteen minutes left to go. The Cowboys defense seemed to find its holding again, freezing the Aggies offense for a better part of five minutes. This freeze allowed for the offense to go on a 11-4 run.
Foster, taking over for Marbles, helps lead the Cowboys with three back to back threes for the Cowboys. But the Aggies ramped up their offensive play, answering to keep them at an arm’s distance. Thompson made back to back baskets as well with another crucial three pointer.
A personal foul by Utah State’s Neeamis Queta against Marbles allowed the Cowboys to tie up the game, but the Cowboys foul trouble kept getting the best of them. The Cowboy offense was met with resistance by Queta with two blocks in two Cowboy possessions.
These blocks allowed Utah State to pull away towards the end of the game, but in less a minute to go, the Cowboys kept fighting back pulling within two baskets. Time slowed as each team battled against fouls, but the Aggies’ strong free throw record kept the Cowboys at bay. Although Foster hit his fourth three of the night with thirteen seconds to go, the Cowboys couldn’t come back from their foul trouble problems.
Unable to find a footing against the Aggies offense, the Cowboys cinderella run came to stop in a historic Mountain West championship. The young Cowboys battled to the very end against all odds in a 82-89 semifinals loss against the Utah State Aggies.
