Matthew Blaylock
Laramie, WY – In front of 7170 fans the Wyoming Cowboys (18-5 4-3 MWC) had four players score in double figures, led by junior Leonard “The Summit” Washington and senior Francisco Cruz each with 16 as the upset the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels (21-4 5-2 MWC) 68-66 Saturday at the Arena Auditorium in Laramie, WY.
Luke Martinez added 15 points in the and Adam Waddell chipped in with 14 before fouling out. The win was the first for Wyoming against a top 25 team since they upset New Mexico in 1996. UNLV had two chances to tie the game at the buzzer but both shots were off, the loss snapped UNLV’s five game win streak.
“There can’t be a coach anywhere that is prouder of how their team has played this season than I am of this group of guys,” UW head coach Larry Shyatt said. “They executed all the keys that we talked about leading up to this game, and they played with such great energy tonight.”
The Pokes came out strong in the first half going up by as many as eight and going into the half with a six point lead 42-36.
Wyoming was 13-24 shooting in the first half for 54% from the field. That kind of shooting kept the Cowboys in the lead for most of the game. Wyoming’s shooting cooled off in the second half only going 9-24 from the field. The Pokes held on for the win scoring only 26 points in the second half.
Wyoming slowed down UNLV’s transition game by not putting players on the line when The Pokes were shooting free throws. This did not allow UNLV to score the fast break point and let Wyoming control the pace of the game.
The Runnin’ Rebels were led by Quintrell Thomas with 15 points he also pulled down three rebounds in the loss.
Wyoming only had six players score on the day, in addition to the four players in double figures JayDee Luster added 5 points and Larry Nance Jr. had 2.
Wyoming continues its season at New Mexico on Saturday, Feb. 11 at 1:30 p.m.
