The Wyoming Cowboys men’s basketball team lost their second straight game on Saturday as they fell to UNLV 69-57. The Cowboys are now 21-8 overall and are 10-6 in the Mountain West.
“We played to score and we played to show our offense rather than focusing and putting pressure on our D. They did make some shots,” head coach Larry Shyatt said to Pokes Authority.
Wyoming began the game with six-point lead. In the first 7:58 of the game Wyoming made three 3-pointers, with two coming from Junior Josh Adams and one coming from senior guard Riley Grabau. UNLV was able to crawl back and tie the game at 21 with 6:52 left in the half. The Rebels closed out the half on an 11-4 run, and they took a 32-25 lead.
Wyoming shot 34.8 percent from the field in the first half, while UNLV was shooting 45.8 percent. The Rebels made five three balls. Wyoming committed nine turnovers and forced five on UNLV. The Rebels turned those nine Cowboy turnovers in to nine points, while Wyoming could not convert on any of UNLV’s.
The second half began, with the Pokes hitting a couple of three-pointers and was able to cut the Rebels’ lead to one point. UNLV responded by building their lead back up and had it at 10 points with 13:10 left in the game. The Cowboys then went on a 12-5 run to cut the Rebels lead to three with 7:49 left in the game. That is the closest the Poke would come within the Rebels lead. Wyoming lost 69-57.
“They were just hitting, unfortunately, we gave them open looks, and they knocked them all down. McCaw banked one in from the top of the key. When they’re making stuff like that, it’s going to be a tough night,” senior Larry Nance Jr. said to Pokes Authority.
Josh led the Cowboys in scoring with 24 points. It was the fourth straight game where he scored 18 or more points.
“My teammates find me and the shots go in. I’m not looking to get my own shots. I’m not looking to get my own points. But if I can do anything to help, I’m going to do it,” Josh Adams said to Pokes Authority.
Senior forward Derek Cooke Jr. had 10 points and seven rebounds in the game. Both Nance and Grabau had nine points in the game. Nance was 3-10 shooting from the field.
Overall the Cowboys shot 38.5 percent from the field, while the Rebels were shooting 47.9 percent. UNLV made 11 three balls in the game. The Rebels out rebounded the Pokes 33-28.
The Cowboys are in fifth place in the Mountain West with two games left to play. The Cowboys are two games back of first place.
Wyoming will play their final home game of the season on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The Pokes will face off against Utah State.
