Wyoming Cowboys Dogged by Fresno State Bulldogs in 49-36 Loss

You may have heard sayings around the game of basketball like, "there's a cap on the basket," or "they can't throw it in the ocean." It certainly played out like that Wednesday night, as the Wyoming Cowboys struggled and shot just 24 percent from the field in a 49-36 loss at the Fresno State Bulldogs. A 19-5 run by Fresno State over the final 14 minutes of the first half gave them control. After a 10-point lead at half, they pushed the advantage to 20 points early in the second half, and the Cowboys couldn't put anything together for a comeback.

Larry Nance, Jr. led the way with 10 points and 9 rebounds. Riley Grabau also added 10 points. UW was an anemic 12-50 (24%) from the field, 5-27 (18.5%) from 3-point range and hit just 35 percent (7-20) at the line.

The Bulldogs were 17-33 (51.5%) on field goals, 0-6 from deep and 15-21 (71.5%) at the stripe. They out-rebounded the Pokes 33-29, despite giving up 15 offensive rebounds to Wyoming. Tyler Johnson led them with 18 points, while Tanner Giddings added 10.

It was a decent start on the road, as the Cowboys held an 11-7 lead, however that was short-lived. Fresno State held UW to only 5 points the rest of the first half and had a 26-16 lead at the break. The Pokes shot just 27 percent in the first 20 minutes, while the Bulldogs shot nearly 65 percent from the field.

Fresno State (7-9, 1-2) started the second half on a 15-4 run and built a 20-point lead, at 41-21, with nine minutes left and never were threatened.

Wyoming (14-2, 1-2) returns home Saturday night, when the Cowboys face the 14th-ranked San Diego State Aztecs at the Arena-Auditorium. Tip-off is set for 5:30 pm. You can listen to Cowboy basketball on Y95 Country with coverage beginning at 5 pm. Cowboy Talk, with host David Settle, will follow the broadcast.