LARAMIE – The Wyoming Cowboys hit six of their last eight shots and were 24-of-27 from the free throw line in a 66-62 win over San Jose State on Saturday afternoon in the Arena-Auditorium.
Four different Cowboys scored in double-figures with five players grabbing five or more rebounds.
The Pokes move to 12-8 overall and 3-6 in conference play and now have 10 home wins this season.
“Winning is hard. I’m proud of the guys, staying focused during a stretch where there are a lot of distractions. I don’t care what team you are playing in this league, you have to bring it every night,” UW head coach Sundance Wicks said. “We knew we were going to be in for a dogfight, but we have responded in many ways this season and one has been at the free-throw line.
“We had a great game on the glass, but we have to be better scoring on offensive rebounds. We executed down the stretch tonight in a tight game and we got the stops we needed to, so it was a great response tonight.”
Damarion Dennis led the Pokes with 16 points off the bench going 7-of-11 from the field. Freshman Gavin Gores recorded a career-high 15 points with four dunks and was 7-of-8 from the free throw line.
Leland Walker added 13 points with Khaden Bennett adding 11 points, as UW moved to 7-0 when Bennett scored in double-figures. For the night, five Cowboys recorded five or more rebounds with Abou Magassa leading the team with eight.
The Pokes shot 41 percent from the field but were held to only two makes from behind the arc. UW shot 89 percent from the free throw line with 24 makes. SJSU was held to 36 percent from the field and knocked down 11 three pointers. Wyoming held a massive advantage on the glass 44-25 with 33 defensive rebounds.
Both teams could each manage to score a bucket in the opening two and a half minutes. Walker gave Wyoming a 4-2 advantage with a pair of free throws. SJSU would tie the game, and both teams went well over three minutes without scoring a point. Adam Harakow broke the trend with a pair of free throws.
Wyoming added baskets from Walker and Harakow and made it a 11-7 game with just over 11 minutes left in the half. Gores would then add a pair of slams that helped the Pokes make four-straight shots and take a 17-12 lead halfway through the half.
The Pokes went scoreless for over four minutes, and a 9-0 run from SJSU gave them a 21-17 lead. Dennis ended the run and then added a three pointer for a 22-21 lead with 4:15 left in the first frame. Walker and free throws kept the momentum going as it ended up being a 14-0 run over five minutes for a 31-21 lead.
The Spartans a bucket late for a 31-23 lead for the Pokes at the half. Wyoming held the Spartans to 29.6 percent from the field in the first half.
After another Gores slam opened the second half, but San Jose State went on to hold Wyoming scoreless for three minutes and make it a 34-31 game with under 17 minutes left. Uriyah Rojas added a bucket and turned in a nice rebound to an assist on a Dennis fast break bucket for a 40-37 game, but SJSU immediately added a three pointer with 14 minutes left.
Another extended scoreless streak by the Cowboys led to the Spartans to a 6-0 run and tied the game at 40-40 with under 12 minutes left in the contest. Dennis stopped the run with a layup, but a three-pointer by SJSU gave them the 43-42 lead with 10:37 remaining.
The teams traded leads for several minutes until a SJSU three made it a 52-49 game, but a slam from Gores followed by a Dennis bucket and a pair of free throws from Walker made it a 55-52 game for the Pokes with six minutes left. Bennett ended the 8-0 run with a layup for a 57-52 lead, but the Spartans 10th three of the game made it a 57-55 game with four minutes left.
Harakow made it a 61-57 game with a driving layup and Walker made it five at the line with 1:57 remaining. Another three off an inbounds play by the Spartans made it a 62-60 game with 93 seconds left. Colby Garland added a bucket for a tie game at 62-62 with 40 seconds left.
Dennis drove to the lane, and SJSU was called for goaltending for a 64-62 lead with 13 seconds left. The Pokes would then force a turnover, and Walker added a pair of freebies to give Wyoming a 66-64 win.
San Jose State was led Sadraque NgaNga and Jermaine Washington added 14 points each and combined for seven threes.
The Cowboys return to action on Wednesday with a trip to Utah State for a 7 p.m. start in a contest on CBS Sports Network.
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