Cowboy Cagers Wrap Up Non-Conference Action Against Dixie State
LARAMIE, WY. – The Cowboys wrap up non-conference action on Saturday afternoon, December 29th, against Dixie State of the RMAC. The contest is slated for a 4 p.m. start in the Arena-Auditorium and will be the first home contest for the Pokes in 18 days.
A Look at the Matchup
Wyoming heads into the contest with a 3-9 overall record after dropping a pair of games last week at the Sun Bowl Invitational in El Paso, Texas. The Pokes fell to East Tennessee State and UTEP.
Wyoming ranks second in the conference in both free throws attempted and made. Wyoming has made 210 free throws for No. 35 in nation and have attempted 286 for No. 56 in the country, Wyoming is fourth in the Mountain West Conference hitting 36 percent of its three pointers. Wyoming is shooting 42 percent overall from the field this season.
Dixie State heads to Laramie with a 4-5 overall record and are 2-3 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. The Trailblazers were last in action on Dec. 18 falling to Saint Martin’s on the road by a score of 76-59.
The Trailblazers average 70.7 points per game on the season and are allowing 72.4 points per night. DSU shots 42 percent from the field with the opponent shooting 42 percent. Dixie State is one of the finest rebounding teams in NCAA II grabbing 28.9 rebounds per game.
Each Team’s Leaders
Wyoming is led by senior Justin James in scoring, rebounding and assists. He ranks No. 17 in the nation and leads the MW in scoring at 22.9 points per game. He is also grabbing 9.3 rebounds per game and adds eight of those defensively, ranking ninth in the nation. James also adds 4.4 assists per night for fifth in the MW.
Redshirt freshman Hunter Thompson adds 13.4 points per night. He made a career-high seven three pointers and scored a career-best 25 points against East Tennessee State at the Sun Bowl Invitational. He also adds 3.6 rebounds per night. Sophomore Hunter Maldonado added 13.8 points per game, but will miss four to six weeks with an injury.
The Trailblazers are led in scoring by Matt Conway at 15.4 points per game. He also leads the team grabbing 5.8 rebounds per game. He is shooting 51 percent from the field and 40 percent from behind the three point line. Dub Price adds 9.2 points per night for DSU and ranks second on the team with 13 steals.
About the Series
Saturday’s game marks the first meeting between the two schools.
Up Next
The Cowboys return to action next Wednesday (Jan. 2nd) opening Mountain West play against Boise State for a 7 p.m. start for a game that can be seen on Stadium.
