SALT LAKE CITY — The Wyoming Cowboys couldn’t overcome BYU’s efficient shooting, falling 68-49 Saturday night at the Delta Center. The Cougars shot 52% from the field and 45% from three-point range, while the Cowboys were held to 42% shooting overall and just 25% from beyond the arc. Despite the loss, Wyoming limited BYU to nearly 20 points below its season scoring average.
“They are a solid team that is physical in the half court,” Wyoming head coach Sundance Wicks said. “I thought the pace favored us, but I think for the first time this season, I saw our guys tired. We’ve had a long stretch on the road, and it was designed to test our guys for conference play.”
BYU won the rebounding battle 30-25 in a matchup of two of the nation’s top rebounding teams. Wyoming, which had been shooting well from three-point range in recent games, connected on just six triples in the contest.
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The Cowboys were led by Obi Agbim, who scored 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting, including 3-of-6 from deep. Agbim has scored in double figures in every game this season. Jordan Nesbitt added seven points, while Abou Magassa pulled down a career-high nine rebounds. Freshman Matija Belic made his debut for the Cowboys, contributing four points.
BYU jumped out to an 11-0 lead in the opening minutes, hitting its first five shots and forcing three Wyoming turnovers. The Cowboys responded with buckets from Agbim and Nesbitt, holding the Cougars scoreless for over two minutes to make it an 11-4 game.
Agbim kept Wyoming in the game early, scoring consistently to cut BYU’s lead to 20-11 with 12:32 left in the first half. Both teams shot over 60% during the first eight minutes, but five turnovers by the Cowboys allowed BYU to capitalize.
The Cougars extended their lead to 27-13 midway through the first half, converting 12 points off Wyoming’s turnovers. The Cowboys briefly slowed BYU’s offense, holding the Cougars scoreless for more than three minutes, but could only close the gap to 32-21. Agbim’s 3-pointer before halftime made it 34-25 as he reached double figures.
BYU started the second half with a 5-0 run, building a 39-25 advantage. Wyoming responded with a 4-0 spurt, but consecutive Cougar 3-pointers pushed the lead to 45-32. BYU followed with three straight baskets to take a commanding 56-37 lead with under 10 minutes remaining.
Wyoming held BYU without a field goal for five minutes late in the game but couldn’t chip away at the deficit as the Cougars cruised to the win.
Trevin Knell led BYU with 15 points, shooting 6-of-7 from the field, as three Cougars finished in double figures.
The Cowboys return home Thursday for their first game at the Arena-Auditorium in nearly a month, hosting Bellarmine at 6:30 p.m. MT.
