Wyoming Cowboys Win Debut In New-Look Arena-Auditorium, 78-70
The University of Wyoming Cowboys opened the renovated Arena-Auditorium in style Sunday in Laramie with a 78-70 victory over the Northern Colorado Bears.
Larry Nance, Jr. scored 21 points and grabbed 8 rebounds to lead the way. In fact, all five Wyoming starters scored in double figures, as they accounted for 70 of the team's 78 points.
An 11-2 run over three minutes late in the second half propelled the Pokes to the win. With the scored tied at 58 with 6:02 left, a Riley Grabau 3-pointer ignited the key run. Nance had a 3-point play, while Josh Adams added a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws that capped the burst. It put UW in front 69-60 with 3:02 remaining.
Adams scored 14 points, while Grabau had 13. Charles Hankerson, Jr. and Derek Cooke, Jr. added 12 and 10, respectively.
Wyoming (1-0) shot 61.9 percent (26-42) from the floor. They were 8-18 (44.4%) from 3-point range and went 18-22 (81.8%) at the line. The Cowboys finished with a 24-21 edge on the glass. They also had 21 assists on their 26 field goals. Perhaps the only negative was 13 turnovers.
Northern Colorado (1-1) was led by Cameron Michael with 21 points.
The Pokes have now won ten of the last 11 games played against the Bears.
Wyoming is back in action Tuesday, when they host the Western State Mountaineers from Colorado. Game time is at 7 p.m.