Cowboys Host Boise State in Mountain West Opener
LARAMIE, WY. – The Cowboys welcome the Boise State Broncos to the Arena-Auditorium for the opener of the Mountain West portion of the schedule on Wednesday. The contest is set for a 7 p.m. start in what will be the first of two meetings between the teams this season.
The game will be streamed by Stadium on Facebook. Fans can listen to the contest and follow stats on GoWyo.com. The game will be broadcast live on radio over the 25 affiliate stations of the Cowboy Sports Network, as Dave Walsh and Kevin McKinney will call the action.
A Look at the Matchup
Wyoming closed out non-conference play on Saturday with a 65-63 win over Dixie State. The Pokes hold a 4-9 overall record and are 3-4 in the Arena-Auditorium. The Cowboys are 8-11 all-time in MW openers and have won two straight.
Wyoming continues to be an effective team at both getting to the free throw line and capitalizing on those opportunities. Wyoming ranks second in the MW in free throws attempted (315) and have connected on 232 of those for second in the conference and No. 28 in the nation. Wyoming ranks fourth in the MW in three-point percentage at 36 percent.
Boise State heads to Laramie with a 5-8 overall record after falling to Oregon at home last Saturday by a score of 62-50. The Broncos have lost three of the last four and are 1-6 away from Taco Bell Arena.
The Broncos are shooting 47 percent from the field on the season ranking third in the MW. That number also ranks in the top-100 in the nation. Boise State is shooting 35 percent from behind the arc ranking seventh in the conference.
Each Team’s Leaders
Wyoming is led in scoring, rebounding and assists by senior Justin James. He adds 22.4 points per game to lead the MW. He also ranks third in the MW grabbing 9.2 rebounds per game. He adds 4.4 assists per night. He leads the nation in free throw attempts at 129 and is second in the nation making 97. He also ranks third in the nation in minutes played.
Redshirt Freshman Hunter Thompson adds 12.5 points per game to go along with 3.9 rebounds. True freshman Trace Young added 16 points and six rebounds in the Pokes’ win over Dixie State. Senior Jordan Naughton has four blocks in three games played.
The Broncos are led in scoring by RJ Williams. He adds 14.4 points per game and leads the team grabbing 6.9 rebounds per night. He is shooting 56 percent from the field for the season. Justinian Jessup adds 12.6 points per game. One of the finest three-point shooters in the MW, he has connected on 2.5 per game to rank seventh in the conference.
About the Series
Wednesday’s game marks the 28th meeting all-time between the two schools. Wyoming holds a 14-13 lead in the all-time series. The Broncos have taken five of the last six meetings including the MW finale last year in Boise, 95-87
Up Next
The Cowboys hit the road for a pair of games. Wyoming opens at UNLV for a 8 p.m. start on ESPN on Saturday before heading to San Diego State on Tuesday.
