The NCAA tournament hopeful Boise State Broncos put together an impressive offensive performance tonight to sink the Cowboys, 92-72. The Pokes struggled to stop the Broncos’ shots from landing and Boise State out-rebounded Wyoming by over double, moving the Cowboys to 13-14.
Like it’s been all season, the Pokes took a few minutes to get up and running offensively, and Boise State hopped out to a small 9-2 lead. A few moments later however, after having some time to heat up, Griffin capped a 7-0 run by Wyoming with a three-pointer, knotting it up 9-9 about five minutes in.
A short media timeout helped the Broncos regroup, and when the teams took the court again the Cowboy’s offense had cooled down. The change in pace helped Boise regain a 26-16 lead near the midpoint of the half.
Playing without stoppages seemed to benefit the Pokes, and as the clock ticked away Wyoming closed the gap between them and the Broncos, making it 32-27 at the 6:48 mark. Another Sam Griffin splash from downtown brought it to within 2 points.
The swings in momentum persisted for the Cowboys however, and just as soon as they would close in, Boise would separate themselves and regain a substantial lead. At the half, it was 51-36 Boise State.
In the first half for Wyoming, they shot a very respectable 52%, but Boise State was able to make 67% of their attempts and 54% of their three pointers. The incredibly hot shooting Broncos couldn’t be stopped and it meant that Wyoming had their work cut out for them in the second.
Unfortunately for the Pokes, Boise State’s feverish scoring pace didn’t slow down. 6 minutes in, it was 69-45 Broncos. They kept cashing bucket after bucket, and even with decent shooting from Wyoming, Boise was comfortably in control.
Around the nine minute mark, Wyoming started to make a push, going on a 9-0 run as the game transitioned into its final minutes. That would be the last effort for the Pokes however, and they would go down to the Broncos 92-72.
Boise State ended the game shooting 54%, but heated all the way up to over 70% in the second half. One of the largest factors in their offensive explosion of the Broncos was also their rebounding ability, and they grabbed 43 compared to the 19 boards for the Pokes, including 17 offensive rebounds.
Wyoming shot the ball well, but the defensive struggles and inability to grab rebounds ended any chance they had of winning. Cam Manyawu continued to play well, getting 8 points and 9 rebounds. Sam Griffin anchored the offense and put up 16 points.
Wyoming stays at home this week for a Tuesday evening matchup with UNLV.
