Cowboys Crumble in MW Opener to Boise State [VIDEOS]
The Wyoming Cowboys struggled shooting and with turnovers in their Mountain West opener, as they lost to Boise State, 69-55, Wednesday night in Laramie.
Wyoming (4-10, 0-1) got 16 points from freshman Trace Young for a second straight game. Senior Jordan Naughton added 10 points in his most extensive action this season.
The Cowboys shot only 35 percent from the floor, 14-40, and had 15 turnovers. Those turnovers led to 17 points for Boise State.
The Broncos led 21-19 with 5:15 left in the first half. They went on a 10-0 run and took their first double-figure lead of the game, at 31-19. Wyoming never got closer than eight points the rest of the game.
Boise State (6-8, 1-0) was led by Alex Hobbs with 17 points. Justinian Jessup had 14 points, and Derrick Alston added 10 off the bench. The Broncos shot 42.4 percent from the field. They also had 12 second-chance points off 11 offensive rebounds.
The Pokes pulled within eight, at 33-25, on a Young three-pointer to open the second half. Boise State responded with a 9-2 spurt and got up 42-27 with 15:39 left. The lead grew to as much as 22 at the 6:37 mark.
The Broncos have won six of the last seven meetings in this series. UW is now 8-12 in MW openers all-time.
Mountain West Conference leading scorer Justin James of Wyoming was held to 7 points, his lowest point total of the season. He went 1-14 from the field and was 1-5 from deep. James did pull down 14 rebounds but had six turnovers.
Wyoming looks to regroup as they head on the road for their next two games. First up is a trip to Las Vegas to face the UNLV Rebels on Saturday at 8 p.m.