by Keith Kelley–24 Dec ’14
Senior forwards Larry Nance, Jr. and Derek Cooke, Jr. were unstoppable last (Tuesday) night, as the Wyoming Cowboys beat Montana State 61-51 in Bozeman. Nance finished the game with a season high 31 points, while Cooke notched his first double-double of the season, with 13 points and 11 rebounds. The production in the front court was big, as the Cowboys were short-handed. Senior Charles Hankerson, Jr. did not play, dealing with a severe bone bruise in his foot, and big man Alan Herndon missed his second straight game with an acid reflux issue. Senior Riley Grabau did return to the line-up, after missing a game with a tight hamstring.
The Cowboys win on the road was the first this season, and first in six games going back to last year. Wyoming beat the Bobcats for the second time in nine days, and head coach Larry Shyatt says this win mirrored that win in Laramie.
Nance was 9-14 from the field and 12-15 from the free-throw line for his 31 points. Shyatt said that Nance is still not all the way back, but played all 40 minutes, and said that what he did last night was pretty special.
Wyoming held Montana State to just 36 percent shooting for the game. They closed the game out with an 8-0 run, after the Bobcats got to within two points. To win on the road is big for this team, but not as big as some make it out to be according to Shyatt.
Junior guard Josh Adams was also in double figures with ten points. The Cowboys finish the non-conference season at 11-2. Next up is the Mountain West opener at home, next Wednesday against UNLV. The Runnin’ Rebels upset #3 Arizona last night, 71-67.
