Mountain West Men’s Basketball Standings

Cowboys Fall to Houston in Double Overtime Thriller

McManamen pours in career-high

LAS VEGAS – In a contest that saw the Wyoming Cowboys (7-6 overall) erase a 15-point deficit, the Houston Cougars (9-2 overall) outlasted Wyoming in double overtime by a score of 94-89  on Tuesday night in Cox Pavilion in the Global Sports Classic.

Senior Josh Adams scored a game-high 34 points for his third-straight game with over 30 points. Junior Jason McManamen added a career-high 23 points for the Pokes.

“It was a lot of great effort by both teams tonight. Our guys are growing up and are competitive and I love the way we play and have comeback capability.” – UW Head Coach Larry Shyatt.

The Cowboys trailed by as much as 15 in the contest and with a strong second half that featured a 21-7 run over 11 minutes helped give the Pokes a six point lead late in the frame. Houston battled back late to tie the game and a missed three-pointer by Trey Washington III sent the Pokes’ to their second overtime contest of the season.

The Pokes’ second half surge was fueled by 50 percent (10-of-20) shooting from the field and 84.6 percent (22-of-26) shooting from the free throw line. Wyoming’s bench also came up big in the second half and the overtimes adding 23 points. The Cowboys held the Cougars to 30 percent (10-of-33) shooting in the second stanza.

In the first overtime each team developed chances to take the contest. The Cougars led late in the frame, but a free throw by Alexander Aka Gorski and a layup by Adams sent the game to double overtime tied at 79-79.

In the second overtime the Cougars used 13-4 run to take the contest. The run was after McManamen hit a three pointer to give the Pokes’ an 85-81 lead.

The Pokes struggled offensively in the opening frame with 11 turnovers compared to five by the Cougars. Wyoming shot only 28 percent (7-of-25) percent from the field with five of those baskets being from behind the arc. Houston was strong from the field in the opening stanza shooting 50 percent (15-of-30) from the field.

For the game, Wyoming shot 39 percent (22-of-57) from the field and 32 percent (9-of-28) from behind the arc. Wyoming was strong from the line shooting 78 percent (36-of-46).

It was the most free throw attempts for the Cowboys this season. The Cougars shot 42 percent (33-of-78) from the field and 25 percent (8-of-32) from the three-point line, while shooting 87 percent (20-of-23) from the free throw line.

The Cowboys outrebounded the Cougars 47-44. Wyoming’s 47 rebounds was a season-high. The Pokes also committed a season-high 21 turnovers in the contest.

Adams added a game-high 34 points by going 16-of-19 from the free throw line for a new career-high with 16 made free throws. He also led the Pokes by adding eight rebounds. McManamen’s career-high 23 points came off of shooting 50 percent (7-of-14) from the field. Aka Gorski added 12 points for the Pokes for his second double-figure scoring contest of the season.

Wyoming opens the Mountain West conference slate on Dec. 30 with a road contest at San Diego State with tipoff slated for 8 p.m. MT.

 

 

 

Pokes Drop to Marshall in Global Sports Classic

LAS VEGAS – Senior guard Josh Adams posted his first double-double with career highs of 37 points and 10 rebounds, but the University of Wyoming men’s basketball team dropped a 90-82 contest to Marshall on Monday night in Cox Pavilion in the Global Sports Classic.  

The Cowboys (7-5) were within two possessions of the Thunder Herd (4-7) most the second half, but couldn’t get stops on the defense end.

“A little bit more Marshall pace tonight and a little bit less Wyoming pace, but you know our guys battle back twice,” UW head coach Larry Shyatt said. “We were down in each half and both times battled back to find ourselves in the last minute and half in a one-point game.”

The Cowboys led early in the second half, but allowed Marshall to build a six-point lead at 62-56 with eight minutes left. Adams would pull the Pokes within one twice with two minutes left, but that was as close as the Cowboys could get as 90 points were the most UW has allowed in six seasons under Shyatt. The Thunder Herd would make free throws down the stretch to keep the Pokes at bay.

Adams’ career night came on 11-of-19 from the field, 7-of-11 beyond the arc and 8-of-9 at the free-throw line. His 11 field goals and seven threes both were career highs, while his seven threes were second in Cowboy single-game history and just two shy of tying a school record. He also moved into ninth in UW’s career lists with 131 made threes and 17th with 1,368 points.

“What can you say about Josh Adams?” Shyatt said. “He made some tremendous plays and got nine defensive rebounds. Unfortunately he didn’t quite handle the ball against some pressure down the stretch, but if you have to fail you don’t want it to be in heart and hustle. His heart and hustle was in the game. It’s hard to find faults when a guy gets 37 and 10, a double-double.”

Junior guard Jason McManamen added a career-high 18 points for his seventh game in double-figure points this season, while freshman guard Justin James had 10 points for his third-straight game in double figures. Sophomore forward Alan Herndon earned six rebounds and career-high five assists.

Wyoming shot 46 percent (25-of-56) from the field for the game and 39 percent (12-of-31) beyond the arc compared to 48 percent (30-of-62) and 34 percent (11-of-32), respectively, for Marshall. Both teams hit better than 85 percent at the free-throw line. The Thundering Herd led 38-28 on the boards, including 13-7 in offensive rebounds, which lead to a 15-8 advantage in second-chance points.

“If you look on the stat sheet, offensively we did about everything you could to win a game against a team like this,” Shyatt said. “It clearly was the other end where they dominated us with some key offensive boards. I’d dare say of those 13 offensive boards they converted them into 15 or 16 points.”

It was back and forth on the offensive end in the first half. The Thundering Herd built a 10-point lead at 21-11, before the Cowboys stormed back with a 12-0 run to retake an advantage. The two squads would exchange the lead over the next several minutes, before Marshall ended the opening frame with a 7-0 run for a 44-37 lead at the break.

Adams’ 19 points in the first half were just one shy of his career high in the opening frame, but the Thundering Herd’s 44 points were the most Wyoming allowed in a first half this season.

Wyoming shot 48 percent (13-of-27) from the field and 44 percent (7-of-16) from deep in the first half, but allowed 50 percent (17-of-34) and 40 percent (8-of-20) to Marshall. The Cowboys were outrebounded 20-13 in the first half, but earned a 13-9 advantage in points off turnovers. The first half featured five ties and six lead changes.

 

 

 

 

MW and MVC Announce Pairings for 2016 MW/MVC Challenge

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Mountain West and Missouri Valley Conferences have announced next season’s pairings for the MW/MVC Challenge Series in men’s basketball. Nine of the 10 games will take place on the same date (Dec. 3, 2016).

The agreement between the Mountain West and Missouri Valley conferences is in the second year of a four-year term.

This year, the MW won the series, 6-4, with the final games being played this past Sunday. The MW has an all-time series edge of 3-1-1 in five previous Challenge seasons, including an overall advantage of 28-17 in games played in association with the series.

The Challenge Series features head-to-head competition between 10 Mountain West and 10 Missouri Valley teams annually, with each conference hosting five games apiece each season.

Annual matchups for teams in the Challenge Series will be based upon factors including the previous year’s achievements, records and RPI rankings, as well as projected rankings/strength of teams in the upcoming season, based on composite sources. Each season will be considered separately in terms of matchups, therefore, games from the previous year’s Challenge Series may not be returned.

Television rights for each Challenge Series contest will be controlled by the home team’s conference television agreement, which will dictate the distribution of the game and all related matters, including tip times.

Below are the matchups for the 2016 MW-MVC Challenge Series

Saturday, Dec. 3

San Diego State at Loyola @ Chicago

Indiana State at Utah State @ Logan, Utah

Northern Iowa at Wyoming @ Laramie

Boise State at Evansville @ Evansville, Indiana

Missouri State at Air Force  @ Colorado Springs

Wichita State at Colorado State @ Fort Collins

Nevada at Bradley  @ Peoria, Illinois

New Mexico at Illinois State @ Normal, Illinois

Fresno State at Drake @ Des Moines, Iowa

 

Monday, December 19                       

Southern Illinois at UNLV @ Las Vegas

 

About the Mountain West

From its inception in 1999, the Mountain West has been committed to excellence in intercollegiate athletics, while promoting the academic missions of its member institutions. Progressive in its approach, the Mountain West continues to cultivate opportunities for student-athletes to compete at the highest level, while fostering academic achievement and sportsmanship.

Now in its 16th year, the MW has been assertive in its involvement with the NCAA governance structure and has taken a leadership role in the overall administration of intercollegiate athletics. The Mountain West membership is comprised of 11 all-sport members: The United States Air Force Academy, Boise State University, Colorado State University, Fresno State, University of Nevada, University of New Mexico, San Diego State University, San José State University, UNLV, Utah State University and University of Wyoming.

In addition, the University of Hawai‘i and Colorado College participate in the Mountain West as single-sport members in football and women’s soccer, respectively.

 

About the Missouri Valley Conference

The Missouri Valley Conference, the nation’s second-oldest NCAA Division I conference, continues to be the leader in college athletics and is one of the nation’s most progressive conferences, celebrating its 109th season in 2015-16. League members have worked together to focus on common goals and objectives, placing a high value on league harmony, while continuing to invest in athletic programs to compete at the highest level. League members for basketball include Bradley, Drake, Evansville, Illinois State, Indiana State, Loyola Chicago, Missouri State, Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois and Wichita State.

League members for basketball include Bradley, Drake, Evansville, Illinois State, Indiana State, Loyola Chicago, Missouri State, Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois and Wichita State.