CANCUN, Mexico — The Wyoming Cowboys staged a thrilling second-half comeback, erasing a 16-point deficit to defeat Tulane 64-63 in the Cancun Challenge semifinals Tuesday at the Hard Rock Resort. Touko Tainamo’s clutch three-pointer with nine seconds left sealed the victory and propelled the Cowboys (5-1) into the championship game.
“I was proud of this group tonight,” UW head coach Sundance Wicks said. “You know I love rock fights on Tuesday nights. We held a team to 23 second half points, and I will tell you this, the guys kept battled and never gave up and we are going to keep finding lineups that work for us. We started to use our push action in the second half and beat them down the slot and we looked for a shot for Kobe Newton, but we kept the flow and found the best shot and Touko stepped up and hit a big shot.
Wyoming shot 40% from the field and made only four three-pointers, but Tainamo’s game-winner proved decisive. The Cowboys dominated the boards with a 44-34 rebounding edge and held Tulane to 34% shooting, marking the fifth time in six games Wyoming has kept opponents under 40%.
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Guard Obi Agbim led the Cowboys with 18 points, recording his 49th career game in double figures. Jordan Nesbitt contributed his fourth double-double of the season with 10 points and a team-high 13 rebounds. Tainamo added a season-high 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting, and Cole Henry chipped in 10 points.
First-Half Struggles
Tulane opened the game strong, using back-to-back three-pointers to take an 11-7 lead. Wyoming endured a nearly five-minute scoring drought as the Green Wave extended their advantage to 17-7.
The Cowboys responded with an 8-0 run, fueled by Agbim’s five points and a three-pointer from Dontaie Allen, cutting the deficit to 17-15. Wyoming briefly took the lead at 23-22 with under eight minutes remaining, but Tulane regained control and closed the half with a 9-0 run for a 40-34 advantage.
Second-Half Turnaround
Tulane pushed its lead to 16 early in the second half, but Wyoming’s defense clamped down, holding the Green Wave scoreless for over five minutes. Tainamo and Henry combined to spark a rally, trimming the deficit to 52-44 midway through the half.
A 7-0 run brought the Cowboys within one possession at 57-54 with just over four minutes remaining. Henry’s putback made it 61-59, and Kobe Newton tied the game with a layup at 61-61 with 53 seconds left.
After Asher Woods hit a jumper to give Tulane a 63-61 lead with 27 seconds remaining, Nesbitt found Tainamo in the corner for the decisive three-pointer.
Looking Ahead
Wyoming advances to Wednesday’s championship game, where they will face the winner of Belmont vs. Loyola Marymount. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. MST.
