Wyoming Cowboys Kickoff Tourney With Win Over Portland State

Four Cowboys scored in double figures to give the Wyoming basketball team a win in their first game at the Jim Thorpe Classic, 65-51, over Portland State. Adam Waddell led the way with 15 points, followed by Luke Martinez with 13, Leonard Washington with 12 and Francisco Cruz with 11.

The Cowboys got out to a 9-5 lead before hitting a scoring drought for three and a half minutes. Wyoming stayed ahead with menacing defense before a Martinez shot from beyond the arc got the scoring going again and the Pokes built up a 20-8 lead with 9:08 left in the first half. Wyoming had a 14 point lead with just 43 seconds before halftime, but the Vikings hit a couple of shots as time ran down to get back within 9 points at halftime, 35-26.

I thought we anted up early on and little-by-little carved a niche. A six-point lead turned into a 10-point lead and so on. It was sort of slow but I like the edge we had for a good portion of the game.
-Head Coach Larry Shyatt

In the first four minutes of the second half, Wyoming went on a 14-6 run that began and ended with three-point shots by Martinez, who returned to action after sitting out Tuesday's game against South Dakota because of concussion-like symptoms following a crash in practice on Monday.

Luke needed that. He knocked in a couple of deep ones. We have been waiting for that and he has been waiting for that. I'm happy he feels better. I think the doctors did the right thing being cautious against South Dakota, but we are going to need him in this tournament. He gives us a presence that opens doors for Adam and Leonard.
-Head Coach Larry Shyatt

With a 58-38 lead over Portland State, Shyatt went to his bench with 7:06 left. The Vikings made a surge in the final minutes, but the gap was already too wide and Wyoming picked up the win, 65-51.

We did a good job finding the big guys and we were very unselfish in the heart of the game. Like I said, sometimes those last few possessions can leave a bad taste in your mouth. Bottom line is I think we used our bench well. I thought they gave us a nice lift. We have a long weekend coming up and fortunately no one had to play more than about 25 minutes.
-Head Coach Larry Shyatt

Wyoming (4-1) found 22 points off of turnovers and 30 points in the paint. They had 14 assists and 8 turnovers while forcing 18 turnovers from the Vikings. As a team, the Cowboys shot 50.9 percent (27-53) from the field, 35.3 percent (6-17) from beyond the arc and 50 percent (5-10) from the free throw line.

Portland State (2-2) shot 46.2 percent (18-39 ) from the field, marking the first time this season UW has allowed an opponent to shoot above 40 percent. The Vikings were led by Nate Lozeau with 11 points and 4 rebounds, he was followed by Michaul Harthun with 9 points and Chehales Tapscott with 8 points and 5 boards. Both Wyoming and Portland State grabbed 26 rebounds.

UW will continue play in the Jim Thorpe Classic on Saturday when they face Maryland Eastern Shore at 7 p.m. in the Arena-Auditorium. The broadcast will begin at 6:30 p.m. on KCGY.