January 24, 2024 |
Photo – Cowboys against San Diego State – Courtesy gowyo.com
The Wyoming Cowboys played San Diego State close in the first half, keeping the score within two at the break, but the Aztecs turned up the heat in the second half on the way to a 81-65 win.
The Cowboys found it hard to make starts down the stretch. Even more deadly, San Diego’s 19 points, scored off turnovers, proved too much for the Pokes to overcome.
Wyoming went scoreless in the the final four minutes of the first half. During the drought, the Pokes went from a five-point lead to a two-point deficit. The Cowboys rebuilt a five-point lead at the start of the first half before the Aztecs took control of the game at the rim.
Brendan Wenzel, who has been a key part of Wyoming’s offense in the last two Cowboy victories, scored only five points in 38 minutes on the floor. Sam Griffin led the Cowboys with 22 points. Mason Walters added 18.
Wyoming head coach Jeff Linder took away a lot of positives from the loss in Viejas Arena, which is a an intimidating venue for opponents.
SDSU went on a 7-0 run deep in the second half to build a 64-49 lead. Wyoming would cut it to 12 points, but the Aztecs went on another scoring surge on their way to a 81-65 win.
The Aztecs were led by Lamont Butler with 23 points on the night. Jaedon LeDee, the leading scorer in the MW added 17 points.
With the loss Wyoming drops to 10-9 overall, 3-and-3 in the Mountain West. Meanwhile San Diego State improves to 16-4 on the season, 5-2 in league play.
The Cowboys come home for a Border War contest with #24 Colorado State. Tip is set for 2 p.m. Saturday. Bigfoot 99 will have the game beginning with the pregame show at 1:30.
