• Pokes Sink 12 Threes in the Contest
The Wyoming Cowboys used a 16-0 run over six and a half minutes in the second half to surge past Air Force 83-72 on Tuesday evening inside Clune Arena on the campus of the United States Air Force Academy. The two teams combined for 25 three-pointers in the contest. Wyoming moves to 12-9 overall on the season and 5-3 in conference play.
“We did a good job of sticking to the game plan,” UW head coach Jeff Linder said. “We did a good job taking Ethan Taylor and Beau Becker out of the game and it is hard to simulate what they do, but we did a great job. On a quick turn around the guys did great and in the second half we spaced the floor. After an emotional win we came down here and found a way to win.”
Brendan Wenzel added 25 points for a career high. Wenzel was 6-of-8 from behind the arc for a new career-high in makes. Mason Walters scored a season-high 22 points for his first game with 20 or more points. He also led the team with seven rebounds. Akuel Kot added 20 points for his sixth game with 20 or more points. He was 4-of-7 from behind the arc and added five points. It marked the first time since Nov. 14, 2018 that three players scored 20 or more points as Justin James, Hunter Maldonado and TJ Taylor did so against Grambling.
Wyoming shot 56 percent from the field for the seven game this season shooting 50 percent or better from the field. Wyoming shot 63 percent from behind the arc for a season-high. Air Force was 13-of-33 from behind the arc for 39 percent. Wyoming held a 30-21 advantage on the glass and scored 15 fast break points.
Both offenses got offenses got off to a fast start with Walters scoring five points off the bat, but the Falcons added a trio of three pointers for a 9-5 lead in the first two and a half minutes. The Falcons added to the lead and hit their first five shots for a 13-5 lead.
Walters made it a four-point contest, but Kellan Boylan would get to double-figures hitting his third triple of the game for a 18-11 lead at the 14:18 mark. Wenzel hit a pair of threes in the corner to make it a 21-17 game for Air Force with under 12 minutes left in the half. Kot made it a two-point game, but the sixth three of the game by the Falcons made it a 24-19 contest halfway through the half.
A layup from Kael Combs and a triple from Kot tied the contest at 24-24 with seven seconds left in the opening stanza. Wenzel made it a 27-24 near the five-minute mark of the first frame of the contest to cap an 8-0 run as Wyoming held Air Force scoreless for over four minutes.
Air Force would close the half hitting five of their last seven field goal attempts for a 36-24 lead into the half. AFA finished the first half with eight three pointers and shot 56 percent from the field with the Pokes countering at 52 percent.
After a slow start in the opening goings of the second half an and-one play from Walters gave Wyoming a 39-38 lead with 17:29 left in the game. But the Falcons would make three-straight baskets and take a 45-42 lead a minute later. Wenzel added another pair of threes for a 47-45 lead at the 15-minute mark.
Kot and Wenzel continued the barrage from deep as Wyoming would go on a 16-0 run over six minutes to take a 58-45 lead with 10 minutes left in the contest. Wyoming went scoreless for over two minutes with the Falcons made it a 58-50 game.
Sam Griffin would add his first score of the game with a triple for a 63-52 game with 5:48 left in the game. A monster slam from Cam Manyawu off the dish from Walters made it a 67-52 game with just over four minutes left.
Air Force would make it a 10-point game in the final three minutes but could not break into the single digits until a 76-68 contest with 53 seconds remaining. Wyoming held on at the line and took the game 83-72.
The Falcons were led Boylan with a career-high 32 points. The last time an opponent hit eight or more threes was eight from Braxton Huggins of Fresno State on Feb. 27, 2019.
The Cowboys stay out on the road heading to UNLV on Saturday for a 6 p.m. start in a contest on CBS Sports Network.
