Cowboys stop Howard

Brandon Ewing


Wyoming-Howard boxscore

by Wyoming Sports.org

The Wyoming Cowboys got a career-high 34 points from senior Brandon Ewing and stopped Howard 84-75 Tuesday night in the Duel in the Desert in Logan, Utah.

The Cowboys improved to 2-0 in the tournament after beating Houston Baptist Monday night. Wyoming is now 11-2 overall and will face host Utah State in Wednesday's final game at 8 p.m. Howard falls to 1-10 on the season and takes on Houston Baptist on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.

Ewing was 10-of-17 from the field, hitting 4-of-6 behind the 3-point arc and made all 10 of his free throws while playing all 40 minutes. Sean Ogirri added 15 points and a game-high five assists while Tyson Johnson chipped in with eight points and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds, as Wyoming had a 36-31 rebounding edge.

Howard was led by Chris McHenry's 29 points off the bench, also a career-high as well as a Howard school record by a freshman. McHenry was 8-of-16 field goal shooting and made all 11 of his charity stripe shots. Eugene Myatt added 20 points for the Bison while Paul Kirkpatrick tossed in 12 points. Adam Walker pulled down a team-best eight rebounds while tallying a game-high four blocked shots.

The Cowboys led for much of the game and by as much as 17 in the second half, but could never really shake off Howard.

“We didn’t play particularly well, but we found a way to win,” Wyoming coach Heath Schroyer said on the postgame radio show on the Cowboy Sports Network. “ In spurts, I thought we played pretty well, but at the end of the game we were a little sloppy with the ball. The score was a little closer than the game really was. a way it was a little disappointing that we didn’t finish well.”

After Howard scored the contest's first basket, Wyoming scored 11 unanswered points for an 11-2 lead but Howard later countered with a 9-0 run to knot the score at 13-all. Another 11-0 Cowboy streak capped by a 3-pointer from Ogirri gave the Cowboys a 11-point edge at the 10:05 mark. Howard never got closer than five points from there on out, cutting the gap to 31-26 with 6:11 left in the half on a McHenry trey, but Wyoming finished out the half with a 17-7 spurt to lead 48-33 at halftime.

The Bison charged back to 50-45 six minutes into the second stanza, but the Cowboys countered with a dunk by sophomore Mikhail Linskens. Wyoming kept Howard at bay for the rest of the night, leading by as much as 17 on two different occasions.

The Cowboys shot at 50.9 percent (27-of-53), hitting 6-of-13 (46.2 percent) behind the arc. The Cowboys were also 24-of-30 at the free-throw line, hitting 12-of-15 in both halves.

Howard was 28-of-69 (40.6 percent) from the floor, shooting a paltry 2-of-19 (10.5 percent) from 3-point range. The Bison were a perfect 17-of-17 free-throw line.

Utah State thumped Houston Baptist 94-77 in the late game and is now 11-1 on the season.

“I told the guys that we’re going to have to play very well tomorrow,” Schroyer said. “This will be like a very tough league game.”

Utah State was ranked 42nd in the latest USA Today/ESPN poll.

“We’ll try to watch film and try to have the best game plan that we can,” Schroyer said.

Cowboys hold off Houston Baptist

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Wyoming-Houston Baptist boxscore

The Wyoming Cowboys struggled once again, but Houston Baptist is no UCLA. The Cowboys still had enough to down the Huskies 84-74 on Monday in the first game of the Duel in the Desert in Logan, Utah.

The Cowboys, coming off a 113-62 spanking by No. 9 UCLA last Tuesday in Los Angeles, had to fight hard against a winless Houston Baptist team, but prevailed down the stretch.

“We didn’t play particularly well,” Wyoming head coach Heath Schroyer said during his post-game radio show on the Cowboys Sports Network. “I thought we were stagnant. They were a very big (isolation) team, they sent four guys on the perimeter trying to break you down.”

Schroyer, however, did say the Cowboy bench played well, as did seniors Brandon Ewing and Tyson Johnson down the stretch.

Ewing scored 21 points and Johnson added 20 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Cowboys to their 10th win of the season against two losses. Sean Ogirri also scored 12 and handed out a team-high six assists for the Cowboys.

“I thought A.J. (Davis), for the most part, played well,” Schroyer said. “He played 22 minutes, scored six points and grabbed six rebounds. For the most part, he did a good job.”

Djibril Thiam also had a strong game, with eight points and 11 rebounds off of the bench.

Wyoming out-rebounded Houston Baptist 56-37. Gordon Watt scored 28 and grabbed 12 rebounds for Houston Baptist (0-13). Baron Sauls scored 15 and Mario Flaherty 11, all in the first half.

The Huskies tied the game once in the second half, 57-57 with 8:38 to play, on a jump shot by Watt. But the Cowboys went on a 14-3 run to pull away.

Wyoming jumped out to an early lead in the first half, leading by 19-10 with 10 minutes to play. Houston Baptist went on a 13-4 run behind Flaherty and eventually took the lead 26-24 with 7:50 remaining.

The Cowboys, however, responded and led 41-39 at halftime.

Wyoming had another good night at the free-throw line, hitting 32 of 39 attempts, to just 15-of-23 for the Huskies.

Getting to the line was a two-fold advantage for the Cowboys, Schroyer said.

“We kept telling them to pound it in there and attack the basket, get to the free-throw line,” he said. “This team (Houston Baptist) is very, very good in transition. We knew that every time we got to the free-throw line, it took away their transition. We were able to knock them down at a great clip.”

The Cowboys held the Huskies to just 35 percent shooting from the field in the game (25-of-72) and 29 percent from beyond the 3-point arc (9-of-31). Houston Baptist scored just one field goal in the first five minutes of the second half.

“The biggest thing is we spent about 11 hours in two days out on the practice floor,” Schroyer said. “I just said, ‘Guys, we’re playing harder at times against each other, beating each other up. It’s time for us to go out there and beat somebody else up.’ I thought in the first five minutes, we came out and set the tone, and I thought defensively we were pretty good. We weren’t great at times, but at the end, we did a good job on the ball, which was good.”

The Cowboys will now face Howard Tuesday at 5:30 p.m., before closing with host Utah State Wednesday at 8 p.m. Utah State crushed Howard 85-45 in the late game on Monday.

“Howard beat Oregon State; they are very capable. They are always very talented,” Schroyer said. “We’ll have to play better tomorrow night and I think we will. It was good to get the first one out of Christmas. I think our guys will respond and play better tomorrow.”

Cowboys return to action

On Monday night, the Cowboy basketball team will open the 2008 Utah State Duel in the Desert against Houston Baptist at 5:30 p.m. in Logan, Utah.

The Cowboys will also play Howard on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. and Utah State on Wednesday at 8 p.m. in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.

The Cowboys enter the tournament with a 9-2 overall record. After going 9-1 through their first 10 games of the season, the Cowboys fell on the road to #10/#13 UCLA last Tuesday, 113-62.

Four Cowboys are scoring in double-figures this season. Redshirt freshman Afam Muojeke is leading the way with an average of 17.7 points per game. He is followed by senior Brandon Ewing (16.8 ppg), redshirt senior Sean Ogirri (15.5 ppg) and senior Tyson Johnson (14.7 ppg).

Johnson is currently leading the Mountain West Conference in rebounding with 8.7 per game. Ewing is leading the league in assists with 6.1 per game and Ogirri leads the league in three-pointers per game with 3.8. Muojeke is tied for second in the MWC in scoring.

Monday’s meeting with Houston Baptist will be the first meeting between the two schools. The Huskies, who are their 18th season under the direction of head coach Ron Cottrell, are 0-12 this season.

Tuesday’s game with Howard will be the second meeting between the two schools. The first meeting was a memorable one for the Cowboys, as they beat Howard 78-43 in the opening round of the 1981 NCAA Tournament. This season, Howard is 1-8 overall and 0-1 in the Mid-Eastern Conference. They are coached by Gil Jackson, who is in his fourth season with the Bison.

Wednesday’s game against Utah State will renew a long standing rivalry. In fact, the two teams have met 66 previous times, with the Cowboys leading the series 45-21. However, the two schools have not met since the 1997-98 season. The Pokes won that game 67-61 on Dec. 3, 1997 in Laramie. The Aggies are coached by Stew Merrill, who is in his 23rd year.

Following the Duel in the Desert, the Cowboys will remain on the road to open MWC play on Jan. 3 at 2 p.m. against Utah in Salt Lake City.
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WYOMING COWBOYS (9-2 overall)
Probable Starters Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown PPG RPG APG/BPG
F #11 Afam Muojeke 6-7 210 R-Fr. Jamaica, N.Y. 17.7 4.5 1.9
F #21 Tyson Johnson 6-7 245 Sr. Long Island, N.Y. 14.7 8.7 1.9
C #13 Mikhail Linskens 7-0 260 So. Bredene, Belgium 4.2 4.8 1.2*
G # 0 Sean Ogirri 6-3 200 R-Sr. Denver, Colo. 15.5 1.9 2.3
G #23 Brandon Ewing 6-2 190 Sr. Chicago, Ill. 16.8 3.1 6.1
Reserves
PG # 1 JayDee Luster^ 5-9 165 So. San Diego, Calif. Redshirting
G # 2 Arthur Bouëdo 6-2 165 Fr. Aix en Provence, France Hasn't yet played
F # 5 Ryan Dermody 6-9 205 Jr. Loveland, Colo. Hasn't yet played
G #12 Galand Thaxton 6-2 175 Fr. Laramie, Wyo. 0.5 0.3 0.0
C #15 Adam Waddell 6-10 235 R-Fr. Cody, Wyo. 6.5 4.3 1.0*
F #25 Djibril Thiam 6-10 205 So. Dakar, Senegal 6.5 8.5 1.8*
F #32 Mahamoud Diakite 6-7 225 Jr. Paris, France 1.7 2.5 0.7*
C #33 Boubacar Sylla^ 7-2 275 So. Paris, France Redshirting
G #51 A.J. Davis 6-6 195 Fr. Columbus, Ohio 3.1 2.2 1.0
*Indicates blocked shot average
^Luster and Sylla will have to sit out of competition during the 2008-09
season to satisfy NCAA transfer rules.
Head Coach: Heath Schroyer (Armstrong Atlantic State ‘95)
Overall Record: 56-67 (.455), Fifth year
Record at Wyoming: 21-20 (.512), Second year
Assistant Coaches: Fred Langley (Fresno State ‘87), Shaun Vandiver
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HOUSTON BAPTIST HUSKIES (0-12 overall)
Probable Starters Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown PPG RPG APG
F #21 Gordon Watt 6-6 225 Sr. Evanston, Ill. 17.2 7.9 1.2
F #44 Emanuel Willis 6-8 235 Sr. Mendenhall, Miss. 10.0 2.5 0.5
C #45 Mario Flaherty 6-9 230 Jr. Millbrae, Calif. 5.1 3.3 0.4
G #12 Baron Sauls 6-2 180 Sr. Houston, Texas 16.5 4.7 3.6
G #23 Andrew Puzyk 6-3 185 Sr. Katy, Texas 9.7 1.6 0.9
Reserves
G # 3 Sean Morris 5-10 180 Sr. Katy, Texas 5.6 1.9 1.4
F # 4 Demetrus Judge 6-6 195 Sr. St. Louis, Mo. 2.8 2.9 0.0
G #10 Joe Atang 5-10 190 Sr. Houston, Texas 2.7 0.8 0.1
G #11 Justin Wilson 5-6 170 Sr. Dickinson, Texas 2.8 1.3 2.5
G #13 Fred Hinnenkamp 6-7 185 So. Houston, Texas 1.5 1.9 0.4
G #15 Aaron Hendrix 6-2 190 Fr. Houston, Texas Hasn’t yet played
G #25 Jimmy Sanders 6-4 205 Sr. Katy, Texas 2.6 1.3 0.1
C #32 Jeremy Havard 6-8 225 So. Houston, Texas 4.0 1.3 0.1
F #55 Andy Dillon 6-4 215 Sr. Pearland, Texas 3.4 1.1 0.2
Head Coach: Ron Cottrell (Arkansas)
Overall Record: 374-195 (.657), 18th Year
Record at Houston Baptist: Same
Assistant Coaches: Steven Key (Houston Baptist), Vic Gilmore (Houston Baptist )

Star-struck in LA

Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming redshirt freshman Afam Muojeke tries to get the ball past two UCLA defenders on Tuesday.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

LOS ANGELES -- It wasn’t Showtime, although Jerry Buss, the Lakers owner and Wyoming native and graduate was in attendance.

Yet, there likely was a feel of intimidation in Pauley Pavilion Tuesday night for the young Cowboys.

Despite a fast start, the Cowboys fell to the UCLA talent and lore, losing to the Bruins 113-62, one of the worst defeats in school history.

Wyoming head coach Heath Schroyer was asked point blank Tuesday night if his team was intimidated.

Schroyer didn’t hesitate with his response.

“We have nine freshmen and sophomores,” Schroyer said. “For a lot of these guys, they were, from the lack of a better term, star-struck at times. When you walk into Pauley Pavilion and on every corner, there is a national championship banner. I think just the nostalgia and the atmosphere here, it was something that was a great experience for our guys. Obviously, we wished we would have played better. I think UCLA had a lot to do with that.”

Despite the loss, Schroyer said it was a good experience for his young players, especially red shirt freshmen starters Adam Waddell and Afam Muojeke.

“They are obviously very good,” he said. “We knew going into this game that there was a chance that we would be exposed on some things. We did. We’ll take form it and we’ll get better. I like this team a lot, we’re a good basketball team. We obviously have some weaknesses, but we’ll get better.

“They’re just so big, so physical. They had numerous McDonald’s All-American’s. They were better in person and more impressive in person because of their size, strength and athleticism. And they’re very good in this building.”
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Live and learn
After the strong start, the Cowboys struggled with turnovers, giving up 40 points on 29 miscues. UCLA also dominated the glass, converting 14 offensive rebounds for 26 second-chance points.

“I don’t think we defended great, but you can’t defend a turnover and when you don’t do a good job on the glass and they get second shots, it is really hard to rebound,” Schroyer said. “When you give up 66 points to a Top 10 team, you’re not going to win.”

The Cowboys are now concentrating on the three-day Utah State Duel in the Desert in Logan, Utah, Dec. 29-31. After a short Christmas break, they’ll practice twice on Friday … and watch a lot of film.

“We’ll show some good clips and we’ll show some bad clips,” Schroyer said. “We’ll work on some of our weaknesses and we’ll just take it one game at a time.”

Senior guard Sean Ogirri said that this type of loss actually comes at a good time for the team … a couple of weeks before Mountain West Conference play begins.

“We all know collectively that we have to get better,” Ogirri said. “When we get back to Laramie, we have to go to work.”

Much had been made of the Cowboys soft schedule en route to a 9-1 start. Nobody has to remind the Cowboys of that now.

“Now we know that we hadn’t played anybody,” Ogirri said. “We have to work to play a lot better, in order to play teams like (UCLA). We just have to get better.”
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Up next
The Cowboys play three games in three days, opening on Monday with Houston Baptist.

“We’ll look at the first one and completely prepare for Houston Baptist and try to get back on track and get ready for the next one,” Schroyer said. “With a loss like this, I know everybody in that locker room will go even harder. We’re going to bear down.”

Cowboys no match for Bruins

Richard Anderson photo
Wyomng's Tyson Johnson drives on UCLA's Alfred Aboya on Tuesday in Los Angeles.

Wyoming-UCLA boxscore

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

LOS ANGELES -- Confident going in, the Wyoming Cowboys left Pauley Pavilion a little shell-shocked, to say the least.

Wyoming matched No. 13 UCLA shot-for-shot for the first five minutes, then played like it had no shot against the Bruins the rest of the way in a 113-62 loss -- the largest defeat for the Cowboys since UCLA rolled to a 49-point win in 1967.

The loss was just the second of the season for Wyoming in 11 games, while UCLA won its fifth straight and is now 9-2 on the season.

“I think first and foremost, this is the first time that we actually got punched in the mouth,” Wyoming coach Heath Schroyer said. “I think that is great. When you play a Top 10 team in the country, you’re going to be exposed to things. We have to get better. I think playing a team like this at this time of the year, you have to look at it and take from it what you can. We have to get better at certain things, and we will.”

Early on, it appeared as if the Cowboys were able to match the Bruins offensively -- neither team played much defense at first. The Cowboys hit their first seven shots, including two 3-pointers by senior guard Sean Ogirri -- and led 16-12.

But the Bruins, led by guard Darren Collison and forward Michael Roll, just kept firing away and scored 10 straight points, then closed with a bang on a 25-8 run for a huge 59-34 halftime lead.

“When they started going on a run, we didn’t stick together, doing the things that got us here,” Ogirri said. “They just exposed it.”

It only got worse in the second half. It proved to be a combination of sloppy play by the Cowboys and red-hot shooting from the Bruins. Wyoming committed a season-high 29 turnovers (14 in the first half), while UCLA turned those miscues into 40 points.

“I think we hit a few tough shots and I also think they did a good job of taking us out of certain things,” Schroyer said. “When you turn the ball over 29 times against a Top 10 team, you can’t defend the turnover. Every three on two, when you have three McDonald’s All-Americans running the lane … we gave up 40 points off of turnovers.”

Roll and Collison, meanwhile, were nearly unstoppable at times. Roll had a career-high 25 points, hitting 5 of 7 3-pointers. In just his second start of the season, Roll has now scored 53 points in his last three games, compared to 49 in his first nine.

"All of our turnovers led to buckets,” Ogirri said. “They also got a lot of offensive rebounds and turned them into buckets. You take away those and it would have been a closer game.”

Collison added 19 on 7 of 8 shooting from the field. Five Bruins scored in double figures, with Malcolm Lee scoring 16, followed by Drew Gordon with 14 and Alfred Aboya with 12. UCLA shot 60 percent from the field and also hit 13 of 24 3-pointers.

“We’re disappointed,” Ogirri said. “That’s what happens when you play a Top 10 team and you’re not ready. We have to get better and we have to get tougher.”

Ogirri led the Cowboys with 14 points -- all in the first half. Tyson Johnson finished with 11, with Brandon Ewing and Mikhail Linskens adding 10 each. Wyoming actually shot 54 percent from the field, but hit just 5 of 13 3-pointers.

UCLA also grabbed 14 offensive rebounds in the game for 26 points.

“I think when you give up 66 points to second chance and turnovers, you’re not going to win, obviously,” Schroyer said. “Those are things we have to get better at and we will.”

The Cowboys will return to action Dec. 29-31 in the Utah State Duel in the Desert in Logan, Utah.

Cowboys to take on ranked UCLA

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

The Wyoming Cowboys, at 9-1, are off to one of their best starts in several years.

What it mean against a less than stellar non-conference schedule at this point remains to be seen.

That non-conference schedule, however, just got a whole lot tougher, as the Cowboys will tackle No. 10/13 (ESPN-USA Today/AP) UCLA Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles. Tip-off is slated for 8:30 p.m. Mountain Time.

Most will call this a big test for the young Cowboys, but senior guard Brandon Ewing says they don’t call it a test.

“We say it as another game with different uniforms,” Ewing said. “We've got to come ready to play, they’re a big-time team, a Top 25 team. They’ve been to the Final Four the last three years. We just have to prepare for them like we prepare for everybody else. We just have to keep playing like we have been playing.”

Wyoming head coach Heath Schroyer, however, said one would be unfounded to not know what this game means to the team.

“We’ll just take it one game at a time,” Schroyer said. “It is foolish to say that going to Pauley Pavilion to play UCLA is just another game. At the end of the day, it’s still a game and we’re going to have to move on no matter what happens. It’s a game we’re going to have to play very well. I think our guys will respond and play well.”

There’s not just history in Pauley Pavilion with all of the national championships under legendary head coach John Wooden. The current Bruins, under Ben Howland, have enjoyed plenty of success as well. Howland has guided UCLA to three straight Final Fours.

“We all have to understand as fans, there hasn’t been a team as far as I know that has been to the Final four in the last three years,” Schroyer said. “You don’t get any better than UCLA.”

The Bruins, 8-2 overall, are led by Darren Collision at 15.1 points a game, followed by Josh Shipp at 11.7 and Jrue Holliday at 10.7. Shipp, however, missed Saturday’s game against Mercer with sprained ligaments in his thump and is questionable for the Wyoming game.

In his place. Michael Roll started and scored a season-high 16 points in the 76-59 win.

“UCLA, they're a Top 25 team,“ UW senior guard Sean Ogirri said. "Of course, we're going to go at them with everything we can. We're all going to be excited and we'll be ready for them.”

UCLA’s only losses this season have been to ranked Michigan (55-52) and Texas (68-64). One common opponent has been Prairie View A&M. The Bruins won 82-58, while the Cowboys beat Prairie View 80-75.

“Obviously, we’re going to have to play very well,” Schroyer said. “I know our guys are excited about playing a perennial Final Four team. We’re going to have to be at our best to compete with UCLA. We’re going to go down there with the best game plan possible.”

Wyoming is coming off of two big wins last week (100-73 over Western State and 93-70 over Sacramento State).

The Cowboys are well aware that they are taking a huge leap in competition Tuesday against the Bruins.

“We have to just stay focused, we have to be tough, we have to be ready for the tip,” Ogirri said. If we don't, UCLA is a good team, a well-polished team and it could get scary. I just think we'll be ready.”

Is this a yardstick game for the Cowboys? Ewing said that they are treating every game as one.

“We approach every game like we’re playing a Top 25 team and try to win that game,” he said. “Win or lose, this game is not going to dictate our season. We’re just going to go in there and try to win.”

After Tuesday’s game, the Cowboys will return to action Dec. 29-31 at the Utah State Duel in the Desert in Logan, Utah.

Ogirri earns MWC honors

Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming senior Sean Ogirri was named the Mountain West Conference Player of the Week.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

There’s no doubt, Wyoming senior Sean Ogirri is finding his stroke.

Ogirri connected on 14 of 25 3-pointers last week, which was good enough to earn him Mountain West Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week honors.

Ogirri averaged 25.5 points per game last week while helping Wyoming to wins over Western State (100-73) and Sacramento State (93-70). With those wins, the Cowboys are 9-1 and off to their best start since the 1990-91 season.

For the week, Ogirri shot 58.6 percent (17-of-29) from the field and did not commit a turnover in either game.

Ogirri opened the week by scoring a career-high 26 points against Western State. He had an especially hot second half, scoring 23 points. He also tallied two rebounds, two assists and a steal against the Mountaineers.

Against Sacramento State, Ogirri scored 25 points, while also collecting two assists, one rebound, one block and one steal.

After the Western State game, Wyoming head coach Heath Schroyer said this is just a glimpse of what Ogirri can go offensively.

“Sean is such a great teammate that sometimes he defers a little too much to his teammates than being aggressive,” Schroyer said. “For us to do what we are going to do in conference to be competitive, Sean Ogirri is going to have to be aggressive and I thought in the second half, he was.”

For the season, Ogirri is averaging 15.6 points a game. He has connected on 38 of 89 3-pointers (42.7 percent). His 38 3-pointers and 3.8 treys per game are tops on the league.

The way Wyoming senior guard Brandon Ewing sees it, Ogirri is just getting started offensively for the Cowboys.

“He's still got way more than 25 points,” Ewing said. “He can get scary out there.”

Just how much more?

“I think I can get 50," said Ogirri with a laugh.

Ewing agreed: “He can definitely can get 50, but we have a lot of scorers, so he has to settle for 25 sometimes.”

Ogirri, who sat out last season after transferring from Wichita State, has tied for the second-best single-game performance in both Wyoming and Arena-Auditorium history with those seven 3-pointers in each game.

Cowboys turn it on in the second half

Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming senior guard Sean Ogirri puts pressure on Sacramento States' Loren Leath on Saturday.

Wyoming-Sacramento State box score

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Apparently, enough was enough.

The Cowboys kept Sacramento State around long enough before Wyoming rolled in the second half for a 93-70 win Saturday at the Arena-Auditorium.

Wyoming, 9-1 on the season, looked as if it might have played with UCLA in its sites in the first half, as the Hornets led 37-36 at halftime. The Cowboys rectified things early in the second half with an 18-4 run and never looked back.

Wyoming senior guard Brandon Ewing said the Cowboys were definitely not looking ahead to No. 12 UCLA on Tuesday.

“Sacramento State gave us their best shot. They were 1-8 coming in,” Ewing said. “They didn’t have a lot to lose, but they had a lot to gain by coming in here and getting a big road win. We took their best shot well, we took it as men and came out with the win."

As is usually the case when a team struggles at times and trails at halftime, there was a little talking going on in the locker room. Nothing loud, but then again, the Cowboys said they don’t have to get into anybody’s faces.

“This is a real relaxed team,” Ewing said. “We don’t get on each other too tough. We just let each person know what we need them to do individually, so we can accomplish what we want to accomplish as a team.”

The Cowboys’ pressure defense early in the second half forced two time outs by Sacramento State coach Brian Katz in the first four minutes. The Hornets (1-9) never really recovered.

“In the second half, Wyoming really came out and upped the defensive pressure, which led to turnovers and easy baskets,” Katz said.

Wyoming coach Heath Schroyer said the second half on Saturday was the best 20 minutes of basketball that his team has played this season.

“We chart a lot of things on the bench and one thing that we chart is deflections,” Schroyer said. “We had 15 deflections in the second half, which is a high for us. I thought we really shared the ball; we only had three turnovers in the second half. Anytime we can have five guys score in double figures, that means we are sharing the ball.”

Seven points by Wyoming in the first minute and a half turned the momentum.

“We switched up defensively in the second half and put Sean on the ball full-court after made baskets, and we put Brandon back on (Loren) Leath,” Schroyer said. “I thought Sean did a good job of keeping pressure on the ball and Brandon did a good job of fighting through screens and playing defense in the half court.”

Ogirri scored 25 points for the Cowboys, including 16 in the second half. Ogirri had his second straight strong game shooting from the outside, as he hit 7 of 13 3-pointers. On Tuesday against Western State, Ogirri scored 26 points with seven 3-pointers.

“I just calmed myself down and shot the ball with confidence,” Ogirri said.

Ewing and Afam Muojeke added 20 points each, with Ewing also adding a career-high 11 assists, along with four steals Tyson Johnson and Djibril Thiam both scored 11 points for Wyoming, as Thiam grabbed 10 rebounds.

“Just the big-time players, they stepped up big for us,” Ewing said. “Djibril came off the bench to give us some big-time minutes. Everything just started clicking.”

Antonio Flaggs led Sacramento State (1-9) with 23 points, followed by Leath with 19.

The Cowboys will now turn their attention to UCLA with an 8:30 p.m. matchup with the Bruins.

Katz came away impressed with the Cowboys.

“Wyoming is a good team … they’ll do well in their conference,” Katz said. “It’s a young team and those teams are usually long and athletic, and that is a team that can be very formidable to win any game, any night. They are a team that can work together and keep themselves together.”

Johnson leading the way for Cowboys

Richard Anderson photo
Tyson Johnson goes up strong for a basket against Western State.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Tyson Johnson had a tough first half against Western State, missing several “bunnies.”

But he got one to go at the buzzer when he snuck in for the put-back off a missed free throw to give the Cowboys an extra lift going into the locker room.

Johnson and the Cowboys would take that momentum and eventually blow out Western State by 27.

The Cowboys will look to keep that momentum Saturday at 2 p.m. when they host Sacramento State.

Johnson would finish with 10 points and 12 rebounds on Tuesday, his second double-double of the season.

“It was a little frustrating after missing all of the those shots,” Johnson said. “But I tried to come back strong in the second half.”

Granted, it was an off game for Johnson offensively. Yet, if that was a bad game for the senior forward, Wyoming head coach Heath Schroyer said they’ll be just fine.

“The shots didn’t fall for him against Western, but he has proven over a course of time now, he is a guy you know will rebound the ball, close to 10 a clip, he’ll be able to score down on the block,” Schroyer said. “It was one of those games and one of those nights.”

Averaging 15.6 points and 9.8 rebounds a game this season, Johnson has also become the team leader in other areas.

“As he has gotten in better shape and as he understands the system now, he’s really found his niche in this program, both on the floor and off the floor,” Schroyer said. “I can’t talk enough about his maturity, just how much better he is as a player. The thing I'm most proud of is how he has evolved as a leader. He kind of runs that locker room as a big brother. No one messes with Tyson Johnson in that locker room.”

A little extra time to work
With finals now over, the Cowboys have worked a little extra on the court and in the film room. On the basketball court, the Cowboys have put in more individual work, as well as more shooting.

“We’re trying to use our time the best that we can," Schroyer said. “It's a great time for our guys to come in individually and watch film because there are no classes. This is a great time of the year for us. This is a time individually players can get better and as a team. Just spending the time with preparation, it helps us get better as well.”

About Sacramento State
The Hornets are just 1-8 on the season under first-year head coach Brian Katz. Their lone win was an 82-70 victory over UC Davis. One common opponents is Cal State Bakersfield. The Hornets fell to Bakersfield 72-62, while the Cowboys beat Bakersfield 84-48.

Sac State is led this season by senior guard Loren Leath at 13.4 points a game and 6-foot-8 junior forward Justin Eller at 11.6 points and 6.7 rebounds a game.

“Obviously, it is another test for us to play against an athletic team," Schroyer said. “They run a lot of 1-4 stuff. They’re a good basketball team that is very well coached and we’ll have to play well.”

Back on the road
The Cowboys will return to the road when they take on perennial power UCLA Tuesday at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles and then compete at the Utah State Duel in the Desert in Logan, Utah, Dec. 29-31. The Cowboys will open Mountain West Conference play on Jan. 3 at Utah, before hosting San Diego State on Jan. 14.

“It’s a big game for us because it is our last home game for about three weeks,” Schroyer said. “We want to take care of our home court, get better and play our best going into the next couple of weeks.”
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Wyoming Cowboys (8-1 overall)
Probable Starters Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown PPG RPG APG/BPG
F #11 Afam Muojeke 6-7 210 R-Fr. Jamaica, N.Y. 18.4 4.1 2.0
F #21 Tyson Johnson 6-7 245 Sr. Long Island, N.Y. 15.6 9.8 1.1*
C #13 Mikhail Linskens 7-0 260 So. Bredene, Belgium 4.0 4.6 0.9*
G # 0 Sean Ogirri 6-3 200 R-Sr. Denver, Colo. 14.6 2.1 2.6
G #23 Brandon Ewing 6-2 190 Sr. Chicago, Ill. 17.2 3.6 5.9
Reserves
PG # 1 JayDee Luster^ 5-9 165 So. San Diego, Calif. Redshirting
G # 2 Arthur Bouëdo 6-2 165 Fr. Aix en Provence, France Hasn't yet played
F # 5 Ryan Dermody 6-9 205 Jr. Loveland, Colo. Hasn't yet played
G #12 Galand Thaxton 6-2 175 Fr. Laramie, Wyo. 0.7 0.3 0.0
C #15 Adam Waddell 6-10 235 R-Fr. Cody, Wyo. 7.2 5.0 1.1*
F #25 Djibril Thiam 6-10 205 So. Dakar, Senegal 5.0 8.5 2.5*
F #32 Mahamoud Diakite 6-7 225 Jr. Paris, France 1.8 3.1 0.9*
C #33 Boubacar Sylla^ 7-2 275 So. Paris, France Redshirting
G #51 A.J. Davis 6-6 195 Fr. Columbus, Ohio 3.5 2.3 1.0
*Indicates blocked shot average
^Luster and Sylla will have to sit out of competition during the 2008-09
season to satisfy NCAA transfer rules.
Head Coach: Heath Schroyer (Armstrong Atlantic State ‘95)
Overall Record: 55-66 (.455), Fifth year
Record at Wyoming: 20-19 (.513), Second year
Assistant Coaches: Fred Langley (Fresno State ‘87), Shaun Vandiver (Colorado ‘02)
and Anthony Stewart (Mount Union ‘93)
---
Sacramento State Hornets (1-8 overall)
Probable Starters Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown PPG RPG APG
F #40 Justin Eller 6-8 235 Jr. Yreka, Calif. 11.6 6.7 1.4
C # 4 Randy Adams 6-8 220 Sr. Moreno Valley, Calif. 5.9 4.1 0.6
G #14 Mike Marcial 6-1 180 Jr. Clovis, Calif. 1.9 2.2 3.7
G #22 Antonio Flaggs 6-3 180 Jr. Pittsburg, Calif. 7.9 2.1 1.0
G #23 Loren Leath 6-2 190 Sr. Oakland, Calif. 13.4 2.8 0.9
Reserves
G # 5 Stephen Calton 5-10 190 Sr. Sacramento, Calif. 0.8 1.0 1.2
F #10 Donald Thomas 6-6 215 Sr. Garden Grove, Calif. 2.6 1.4 0.7
G #12 Jared Stigall 5-10 160 Jr. Sacramento, Calif. 3.4 1.7 1.2
G #21 Jerome Blockmon 6-2 195 Jr. Venice, Calif. 1.3 0.2 0.0
F #25 Aaron Wilson 6-6 230 So. Lodi, Calif. 2.8 2.0 0.4
F #32 Michael Selling 6-8 225 Jr. Folsom, Calif. Hasn't yet played
G #34 Jonathan Malloy 6-5 190 Jr. Compton, Calif. 1.5 1.4 0.6
F #42 Alex Ward 6-6 220 Jr. Redding, Calif. Hasn't yet played
C #50 Mike Edwards 6-11 205 Jr. Tracy, Calif. 5.1 2.4 1.2*
* Indicates blocked shot average
Head Coach: Brian Katz (Sacramento State '80)
Overall Record: 1-8 (.111), First Year
Record at Sacramento State: same
Assistant Coaches: Terry Battenberg (Sacramento State '68),
Brady Bergeson (Chapman '00) and Dominique Bukasa (Sonoma State '99)

Cowboys struggle at times, but get the job done for eighth win of the season

Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming guard Brandon Ewing has the ball stripped from him against Western State.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

When does a coach see progress in his program? Probably when he isn’t particularly happy, yet wins by 27 points.

Wyoming head coach Heath Schroyer has had to basically build from the bottom up in his short time at Wyoming, and now has the Cowboys at 8-1 on the season.

While there have been times the Cowboys haven’t been real sharp -- including Tuesday’s 100-73 win over Western State -- some of the Wyoming wins this year could have easily been losses in the past.

It’s a one step at a time for Schroyer, but steps in the right direction.

“We didn’t play particularly well tonight, but it’s good to not play your best and still win by 27,” Schroyer said. ““We didn’t play with the sense of urgency I would have liked to seen, but we made enough plays to win."

Western State, a Division II program out of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, scored 14 straight points on Wyoming early after the Cowboys jumped out to an 11-2 lead.

The Cowboys battled back and led by nine at halftime and opened up a 20-point lead at the midpoint of the second half.

“Tyson (Johnson) and Sean (Ogirri) brought everybody together and said that we needed to pick it up a little bit, play our style of basketball,” Wyoming senior guard Brandon Ewing said. “We needed to get stops and get on the run … we needed to find Sean for open 3s, find Tyson on the post, I needed to stay aggressive. We got out of our chemistry a little bit and that is why they made a little run. But once we got going a little bit, there was nothing they could do with us.”

It was still a struggle at times, though, for a Wyoming team that didn’t defend the perimeter very well and still turned the ball over too much for Schroyer’s liking.

Western State hit 12 3-pointers in the game, but had to take 38 attempts, basically half of its overall totals from the field. Wyoming also 14 turnovers and gave up 14 offensive rebounds, although several were long rebounds off of missed 3-pointers. Western State still had 10 more field goal attempts in the game than Wyoming (77-67).

The Cowboys have been criticized for not having the toughest non-conference schedule this year, but Schroyer said that when you go back over this program over an extended period of time, they just need to win games.

“We’re one possession at Boise State from being 9-0,” he said. “We played a team (and won) at Northern Iowa on a neutral floor that is going to be postseason. They haven’t had anything less than 18 wins in the last five years. You look at Texas State and they went to Texas and played them to an eight-point game. I want to keep taking it one-day-at-a-time and try to keep getting better.”

Schroyer added that as the Cowboys keep getting betterby playing with a purpose offensively and understanding and truly valuing defense, he said this team can be pretty good.

“I’ve always said that this is year two of the process,” he said. “I think this team is pretty good. Are we great? No, we’re not. Do we have the potential to be pretty good? I think we do.”

Ewing said it is all about staying focused.

“We’re 8-1 now and now we have to focus on the next one,” he said. “We can’t dwell on this one. At the end of the day, Wyoming still won.”

Ogirri takes over for Cowboys

Wyoming guard Sean Ogirri

Wyoming-Western State boxscore

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Did Wyoming head coach Heath Schroyer come up with a new strategy to get senior Sean Ogirri going offensively?

Probably not, but evidently Schroyer pushed the right buttons.

“Coach said, ‘Are you ever going to play?’” Ogirri said. “I guess he got me mad. I just wanted to stay aggressive in the second half.”

It worked as Ogirri scored a career-high 26 points, as the Cowboys rolled past Western State 100-73 Tuesday night in the Arena-Auditorium.

Ogirri had just three points at halftime, but took over in the second half, hitting 6 of 9 3-pointers. He closed with a bang, even with a comfortable lead, hitting three treys in the final two minutes, including the final one to give Wyoming 100 points with 14 seconds left.

Ogirri’s answer to the challenge by Schroyer? “I was like, ‘Let’s go then,’” he said with a smile.

It wasn’t like the Cowboys didn’t need a little offensive pick-me-up from Ogirri, who at times has been reluctant to try to take over.

“We were a little sluggish and I just wanted to help bring the lead up,” Ogirri said.

Schroyer didn’t really try to make Ogirri mad, he said he just told him to be a senior and be aggressive.

“I said, ‘Let people like myself and this team know how good Sean Ogirri is,’” Schroyer said. “You got a little bit of a glimpse on it. Sean is such a great teammate that sometimes he defers a little too much to his teammates than being aggressive. For us to do what we are going to do in conference to be competitive, Sean Ogirri is going to have to be aggressive and I thought in the second half, he was.”

Ogirri’s previous career high with Wyoming was 22 points and he went into the game averaging 13.1 per contest, certainly good numbers, but not overwhelming numbers. He had scored just 16 points in his previous two games, hitting 4 of 15 3-pointers. He was able to find his rhythm on Tuesday with a few extra shots in practice.

“That’s what happens when I get in the gym, just repetition and just staying aggressive,” Ogirri said.

The last thing the Cowboys wanted to do was get into a 3-point shooting contest with Western State, a Division II school that takes half of its shots from behind the 3-point arc.

As it turned out, the Cowboys won the long ball battle, as the Cowboys connected on 12 of 24 in the game. Western State (5-4) hit 12 of 38 3-pointers.

“They got 38 (3-pointers) up and I told the kids that they played Air Force to a six-point game and they shot 35 then,” Schroyer said. “They send four guys to the perimeter, but I guess we made enough plays to win the game.”

The Cowboys overcame an early five-point deficit to Western State, but opened up a 20-point advantage midway through the second half.

Brandon Gentry led Western State with 17 points, followed by Cameron Burney and Allen McFarland with 16 each. The Mountaineers shot just 32 percent in the game (25-of-77).

“We didn’t shoot the ball particularly well,” Western State coach Mike Moskowitz said. “If we were able to shoot better, it might have been a lot closer.”

Brandon Ewing finished with 21 points for Wyoming, which led 44-35 at halftime. Afam Muojeke added 18 and Tyson Johnson finished with 10, as the Cowboys were 34-of-67 from the field.

Cowboys host Western State

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

The Wyoming Cowboys return home Tuesday after three games on the road when they host Western State, beginning at 7 p.m. in the Arena-Auditorium.

The 7-1 Cowboys are coming off a 74-65 win over Northern Iowa Saturday in Casper at the Wyoming Shootout. Previously, Wyoming earned split on the road, losing to Boise State on a buzzer-beater before stopping Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles.

Western State enters Tuesday’s game with a 5-3 overall record and a 2-0 mark in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. They are led by five senior starters, including their leading scorer Cameron Burney. Burney is currently averaging 17.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.

Wyoming coach Heath Schroyer is glad to get home for a couple of games before the big matchup at UCLA on Dec. 23.

“We’ve been away from the Arena-auditorium for three games, and won two of them,” Schroyer said Saturday after the win over Northern Iowa. “Now hopefully we can get home and keep this going.”

Schroyer said that with a Decision 2 team next up on the schedule, they have to take the Mountaineers seriously or Saturday’s win would mean nothing.

“I told our guys that we have to take it one game at a time,” Schroyer said. “If we don’t take care of business at home, then this win gets washed away.”

Through their first eight games, the Cowboy roster not only features the top scorer in the Mountain West Conference, it also features the league’s top rebounder and top assist man.
Redshirt freshman Afam Muojeke currently leads the MWC in scoring with 18.5 points per game. Senior Tyson Johnson is currently leading the league in rebounding with 9.5 per game and senior Brandon Ewing currently leads the MWC in assists with 5.88 per game.

Game notes
Following Tuesday’s game, the Cowboys will host Sacramento State on Saturday. The game will the first of a scheduled doubleheader with the Cowgirl basketball team. The Cowboys and Hornets will begin at 2 p.m. while the Cowgirls will host St. Louis at 6 p.m. … The Cowboys are in search of their first 8-1 start since the 1990-91 season. That year, the Cowboys finished 20-12 and advanced to the NIT. This season’s 7-1 start is the third of this decade by the Cowboys. They also opened the 2000-01 and 2006-07 seasons with 7-1 records. ...The Cowboys lead the all-time series with Western State 22-2.
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Wyoming Cowboys (7-1 overall)
Probable Starters Ht. Cl. Hometown PPG RPG APG
#11 Afam Muojeke 6-7 210 R-Fr. Jamaica, N.Y. 18.5 4.0 2.1
F #21 Tyson Johnson 6-7 245 Sr. Long Island, N.Y. 16.3 9.5 1.5*
C #13 Mikhail Linskens 7-0 260 So. Bredene, Belgium 3.8 4.8 0.9*
G # 0 Sean Ogirri 6-3 200 R-Sr. Denver, Colo. 13.1 2.1 2.6
G #23 Brandon Ewing 6-2 190 Sr. Chicago, Ill. 16.8 3.5 5.9
Reserves
PG # 1 JayDee Luster^ 5-9 165 So. San Diego, Calif. Redshirting
G # 2 Arthur Bouëdo 6-2 165 Fr. Aix en Provence, France Hasn't yet played
F # 5 Ryan Dermody 6-9 205 Jr. Loveland, Colo. Hasn't yet played
G #12 Galand Thaxton 6-2 175 Fr. Laramie, Wyo. 1.0 0.5 0.0
C #15 Adam Waddell 6-10 235 R-Fr. Cody, Wyo. 7.3 5.4 1.3*
F #25 Djibril Thiam# 6-10 205 So. Dakar, Senegal 3.0 7.0 2.0*
F #32 Mahamoud Diakite 6-7 225 Jr. Paris, France 1.6 3.0 1.0*
C #33 Boubacar Sylla^ 7-2 275 So. Paris, France Redshirting
G #51 A.J. Davis 6-6 195 Fr. Columbus, Ohio 3.7 2.4 1.1
*Indicates blocked shot average
^Luster and Sylla will have to sit out of competition during the 2008-09
season to satisfy NCAA transfer rules.
Head Coach: Heath Schroyer (Armstrong Atlantic State ‘95)
Overall Record: 54-66 (.450), Fifth year
Record at Wyoming: 19-19 (.500), Second year
Assistant Coaches: Fred Langley (Fresno State ‘87), Shaun Vandiver (Colorado ‘02)
and Anthony Stewart (Mount Union ‘93)
Western State Mountaineers (5-3 over, 2-0 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference)
Probable Starters Ht. Cl. Hometown PPG RPG APG
W #21 Cameron Burney 6-7 Sr. Steamboat Springs, Colo. 17.3 7.5 2.0
W #40 Allen McFarland 6-4 Sr. Las Vegas, Nev. 10.3 4.4 2.9
F #45 Clayton Spencer 6-7 Sr. Pagosa Springs, Colo. 5.0 3.5 0.9
G # 3 Jeremy Brooks 6-0 Sr. Phoenix, Ariz. 12.8 4.8 4.8
G # 5 Justin Avalos 6-3 Sr. El Paso, Texas 11.3 3.7 1.3
Reserves
G # 2 Vince Alvarado 5-8 Jr. Seligman, Ariz. 0.7 0.0 0.5
F #10 Steve Zehnder 6-5 Jr., Westminster, Colo. 0.0 1.0 0.2
W #12 Nathan Kirwan 6-5 Jr. Sydney, Australia 0.3 0.3 0.5
W #14 Alex Hart 6-3 Fr. Fort Worth, Texas 4.8 1.8 0.8
F #23 Daniel Hobin 6-7 So. Sydney, Australia Hasn't yet played
W #25 Brandon Gentry 6-3 Jr. Denver, Colo. 7.5 4.1 0.9
W #32 Martin Graham 6-5 So. Phoenix, Ariz. 3.3 1.8 0.5
F #33 Troy McCoy 6-7 So. Bayfield, Colo. 1.3 0.0 0.0
W #52 Brandon Slabach 6-5 Jr. Denver, Colo. 1.3 1.0 0.3
F #55 Mike Bogar 6-7 Jr. Denver, Colo. 2.0 2.0 0.4
Head Coach: Mike Moskowitz (Adams State College '03)
Overall Record: 15-20 (.429)
Record at Western State: same
Assistant Coaches: Daniel Trujillo, Kelly Meek and John McCarthy

Ewing comes through again

Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming guard Brandon Ewing drives past a Northern Iowa player on Saturday.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

CASPER -- Brandon Ewing took it upon himself late in the first half when he sank a last-second 3-pointer to give the Wyoming Cowboys a slight halftime lead against Northern Iowa at the BlueCross BlueShield Wyoming Shootout.

He then was automatic from the free-throw line down the stretch to help preserve the 74-65 win.

“He is playing his best since I have been here,” Wyoming coach Heath Schroyer said. “He’s a phenomenal player, but more importantly, he’s the point guard, he is leading this team in the locker room, on the bus, everywhere. I couldn’t be happier for him.”

Ewing finished with a team-high 22 points, hitting 4-of 8 3-pointers. More importantly, he was 8-for-8 from the free-throw line in the final 2:38. He also finished with seven assists and just one turnover.

“I thought Ewing did a great job of controlling the basketball game from about the five-minute mark on down,” with his senor leadership and his ability to get to the basket,“ Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson said. “I think more than anything, his presence as a senior was really the determining factor in the game today."

After a block by center Mikhail Linskens, the Cowboys got one final chance with seconds in the first half. Ewing nailed a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Wyoming a 35-33 lead.

“I didn’t know we were losing at the time, but we came out up by two, so that was a big-time 3,” Ewing said. “It was momentum changer, it got the crowd back into it. It helped us out a lot.”

Wyoming redshirt freshman Afam Muojeke said they are used to seeing Ewing make those plays.

“Every day in practice and every game, Brandon is our big energy guy,” Muojeke said. “When he makes big plays, it’s really big for us.”
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Although the Panthers are just 5-5 this season, they are a team the Cowboys knew they had to win to get some respect. Northern Iowa has emerged as a solid team in the Missouri Valley Conference under Jacobson.

“We knew they were a tough team coming in,” Ewing said. “Even thought have been losing a lot this year, they are a great team. They’ve been to the NCAA Tournament and the NIT.”

Schroyer said although people might not understand how strong the UNI program is, he said he knows they are very good.

“This a postseason team. This program hasn’t won anything less than 18 games the last five years,” Schroyer said. “They are very well coached, they are very disciplined. We knew it was going to be tough game. They are a postseason team, it was great to get a win.”

Wyoming forward Tyson Johnson said they had to be tougher down the stretch.

“We stuck together, we never lowered our guard. We kept fighting and came away with a win,” Johnson said.
---
In his first game as a Cowboy, sophomore Djibril Thiam scored three points, grabbed seven rebounds and had two blocked shots in 23 minutes of court time. Thiam was playing his first game after transferring from Baylor a year ago.

“I think without Djibril, I don’t know if we win tonight,“ Schroyer said. “Those three offensive rebounds means it is three more shots that we get and two blocks are two shots they don’t get. You’re looking at an eight-point swing just on that.

“He’ll continue to find his rhythm offensively. He’s going to be a very special player in this uniform in the future.”

Cowboys D up on Northern Iowa big man down the stretch

Wyoming-Northern Iowa boxscore

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

CASPER -- Was it the altitude? Was it adjustments by the Cowboys?

Whatever the reason, the Wyoming Cowboys shut down big Jordan Eglseder in the final minutes to stop the Panthers 74-65 Saturday in the BlueCross BlueShield Wyoming Shootout at the Casper Events Center.

Eglseder, a 7-foot-1 center, scored at will from the inside and with a soft fade-away, and led all scorers with 31 points. But he managed just two points in the final seven minutes as the Cowboys (7-1) broke away.

Leading 55-54, Eglseder went to the bench for a two-minute breather and the Cowboys took advantage, regaining the lead on a 3-pointer by Sean Ogirri.

“We knew that when he went out to get his breather, we had to get a run in because he is a dangerous player,” Wyoming senior guard Brandon Ewing said. “We knew we couldn’t be up one or two points with six minutes left because he could go for 40.”

Wyoming hit 12 straight free throws in the final minutes -- eight by Ewing -- and Eglseder’s only other points came with 18 seconds left. In fact, he shot the ball just one other time in that stretch. Ewing was a little surprised that Eglseder didn’t touch the ball more late in the game.

“If I had a guy who had scored 31 points, I’d keep going to him,” Ewing said. “I guess our defense picked it up. Our big guys did a good job the last six minutes. Like I said before, the last six minutes is winning time.”

Wyoming senior forward Tyson Johnson also thought that the big Panther might have got a little tired in the final minutes.

“I think he just ran out of gas,” Johnson said. “I knew with this altitude he would get tired a little bit. We really didn’t put an adjustment on him, he’s just a hell of a player.”

Eglseder finished 13-of-22 from the field and grabbed 11 rebounds for Northern Iowa (5-5). No other Panther scored in double figures.

“Our offense is centered around getting the ball to Jordan,” Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson said. “Our teammates know that and the people we play have a pretty good idea of that. He’s going to touch the ball a lot and tonight people saw why.”

Eglseder went into the game averaging 10.8 points a game, with a previous career high of 23 points earlier this season.

“He’s better than he looked on film,” Wyoming coach Heath Schroyer said. “On film, he looked like he really liked to go to his right shoulder primarily, but tonight he shot some fade-a-ways. He was in a zone. He obviously had a good night.”

Schroyer said they wanted to go with some quickness and length at the end and did so with 6-10 Djibril Thiam.

“I thought he kind of bothered him a little bit,” Schroyer said. “We didn’t do that all game, we just thought in the last three minutes so we would give him a different look.”

Schroyer also said they went to a 1-3-1 zone late and it gave the Panthers some problems.

“That gave us some intensity and helped us down the stretch,” he said.

Cowboys to face tough Northern Iowa squad

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

The Wyoming Cowboys haven’t had the most demanding non-conference schedule around, but its strength is building.

Last week the Cowboys faced Boise State in Boise and Saturday they’ll host Northern Iowa at 3:30 p.m. in the second game of the BlueCross BlueShield Wyoming Shootout at the Casper Events Center. The Cowgirls will open at 1 p.m. against North Dakota State.

The crescendo of the schedule will peak on Dec. 23 when the Cowboys face UCLA in Pauley Pavilion.

Northern Iowa is 5-4 on the season after playing a tough schedule thus far. The Panthers have recorded wins over Denver (61-56), Texas Southern (74-67), Chicago State (81-70), Auburn (67-61) and North Dakota (69-49). They have suffered a couple of tough defeats, including a loss to Marquette (73-43), at Iowa State in overtime (71-66) and at Iowa (65-46). The Cowboys lead the overall series with UNI, 2-0.

“They are really good. I think it is the best team that we have played,” Wyoming coach Heath Schroyer said of the Panthers. “Their losses to Marquette, Iowa State and Iowa … against Iowa, it was a six-point a game until the 12-minute mark.”

Three Panthers are scoring in double figures, led by 6-foot-8 Adam Koch at 11.4 points per game. Jordan Eglseder, a 7-1 junior center. Is averaging 10.8 points and 6.9 rebounds a game, while freshman guard Johnny Moran is scoring 10.4 points a game.

“They remind me of Utah in the sense that they have a big 7-foot-1 kid in the middle, they have guys who can shoot it, they have a point guard who can break it down," Schroyer said. "They are very half-court oriented. They are a very good basketball team, and they have been for the last six or seven years.”

The Cowboys, 6-1, split on their first road trip of the season last week, falling to Boise State on a last-second shot and then downing Loyola Marymount by six points.

Redshirt freshman Afam Muojeke leads the team and the Mountain West Conference in scoring at 19.0 points a game. Seniors Tyson Johnson and Brandon Ewing are currently averaging 16.0 points a game ,while redshirt senior Sean Ogirri is averaging 14.1 ppg. Johnson is the leading rebounder in the MWC with 9.6 boards a game.

“We’re going to have to play very well,” Schroyer said. “I think this is going to be like a league game and we’re treating it as such.”

Tickets for this year’s Wyoming Shootout are still available and may be ordered through the Casper Events Center Ticket Office at 1-800-442-2256 or 307-577-3030. Ticket prices range from $18 for reserved seating to $15 for general admission. Tickets admit fans to both the men’s and the women’s game.
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Wyoming Cowboys
(6-1 Overall, 0-0 in the Mountain West Conference)
Probable Starters
F #11 Afam Muojeke 6-7 210 R-Fr. Jamaica, N.Y. 19.0 3.9 2.4
F #21 Tyson Johnson 6-7 245 Sr. Long Island, N.Y. 16.0 9.6 1.0*
C #13 Mikhail Linskens 7-0 260 So. Bredene, Belgium 4.0 5.0 0.7*
G # 0 Sean Ogirri 6-3 200 R-Sr. Denver, Colo. 14.1 2.3 2.4
G #23 Brandon Ewing 6-2 190 Sr. Chicago, Ill. 16.0 3.3 5.7
Reserves
PG # 1 JayDee Luster^ 5-9 165 So. San Diego, Calif. Redshirting
G # 2 Arthur Bouëdo 6-2 165 Fr. Aix en Provence, France Hasn't yet played
F # 5 Ryan Dermody 6-9 205 Jr. Loveland, Colo. Hasn't yet played
G #12 Galand Thaxton 6-2 175 Fr. Laramie, Wyo. 1.0 0.5 0.0
C #15 Adam Waddell 6-10 235 R-Fr. Cody, Wyo. 7.1 6.0 1.3*
F #25 Djibril Thiam# 6-10 205 So. Dakar, Senegal Hasn't yet played
F #32 Mahamoud Diakite 6-7 225 Jr. Paris, France 1.9 3.4 1.1*
C #33 Boubacar Sylla^ 7-2 275 So. Paris, France Redshirting
G #51 A.J. Davis 6-6 195 Fr. Columbus, Ohio 3.7 2.4 1.1
*Indicates blocked shot average
^Luster and Sylla will have to sit out of competition during the 2008-09
season to satisfy NCAA transfer rules.
# Thiam had to sit out of competition during the 2008 fall semester to
satisfy NCAA transfer rules.
Head Coach: Heath Schroyer (Armstrong Atlantic State ‘95)
Assistant Coaches: Fred Langley (Fresno State ‘87), Shaun Vandiver (Colorado ‘02)
and Anthony Stewart (Mount Union ‘93)
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Northern Iowa Panthers (5-4 overall, 0-0 in Missouri Valley Conference)
Probable Starters
F #34 Adam Koch 6-8 245 Jr. Ashwaubenon, Wis. 11.4 5.2 1.8
C #53 Jordan Eglseder 7-1 290 Jr Bellevue, Iowa 10.8 6.9 0.8
G # 5 Ali Farokhmanesh 6-0 190 Jr. Iowa City, Iowa 8.7 2.2 1.9
G #11 Kwadzo Ahelegbe 6-2 205 So. Oakdale, Minn. 9.9 2.3 4.0
G #13 Johnny Moran 6-1 185 Fr. Algonquin, Ill. 10.4 4.3 2.4
Reserves
G # 1 Colten Kelly 6-1 160 Fr. Anamosa, Iowa Hasn’t yet played
G #10 Brian Haak 6-1 180 Jr. Spencer, Iowa 1.6 0.4 0.4
G #15 Jon Montgomery 6-4 210 So Chicago, Ill. 1.2 2.0 0.2
F #20 Jake Koch 6-8 230 Fr. Ashwaubenon, Wis. Hasn’t yet played
G #21 Travis Brown 6-3 200 Sr. Richfield, Minn. 5.1 2.0 0.6
G #22 Kerwin Dunham 6-6 205 So. Bondurant, Iowa 3.2 1.9 1.2
G #25 Carlton Reed 6-4 195 Sr. Waterloo, Iowa Hasn’t yet played
F #32 Lucas O’Rear 6-6 255 So. Nashville, Ill. 4.2 3.7 1.0
C #33 Austin Pehl 6-10 235 Fr. Cedar Falls, Iowa Hasn’t yet played
F #43 Adam Rodenberg 6-6 235 Jr. Garnavillo, Iowa Hasn’t yet played
G #52 Anthony James 6-0 175 Fr. St. Louis, Mo. 2.0 0.0 0.0
Head Coach: Ben Jacobsen (North Dakota ‘94)
Assistant Coaches: Kyle Green, P.J. Hogan and Ben Johnson

Thiam ready for first action

Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming transfer Djibril Thiam works on defense in a recent practice.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Djibril Thiam is an old hand at being patient, even if he really isn’t all of the time.

The transfer from Baylor will play his first game in a Cowboy uniform Saturday as Wyoming hosts Northern Iowa in the second game of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Wyoming Shootout at 3:30 p.m. at the Casper Events Center.

After playing just four games in his freshmen season at Baylor, Thiam suffered a season-ending knee injury. He had to sit and watch the rest of the season. Last year, he played seven games at Baylor before transferring at semester time to Wyoming. More sitting and watching.

Sitting out a full year because of NCAA transfer rules, Thiam sat and watched again this fall in the Cowboys first seven games.

The first semester is now over and Thiam, a 6-foot-10 forward/wing, will now get his chance.

“I sat out my first year at Baylor after I was injured. That was pretty hard. Sitting out again this time was less hard because I experienced it before,” Thiam said. “I just sat down and observed and learned. It was really helpful because, when you transfer, you are not just going to come in and learn the new system right away. Being able to sit out and observe really helped me, knowing what the coaches were looking for and bonding with the team.”

It’s also not like this is Thiam’s first time out at the Division I level -- he played 11 games for Baylor.

“I’ve been playing this game for a while. It’s not like it is my first game or something,” he said. “I’ve been out before with injury and I got back. This is not that new to me. Certainly, it is exciting to play for a new team, Wyoming, being able to play with the guys.”

While Wyoming head coach Heath Schroyer plans to ease Thiam into the game, he’ll still likely get about 25 minutes against Northern Iowa.

“My expectations for him is to just get his feet wet, to find himself and find his rhythm with the team,” Schroyer said. “I’ve told him all week to just relax and just let it come. He’s going to make some mistakes and he’s going to play through some mistakes. There’s no question that when you add Djibril to this team, looking long-term to the rest of the year, that he is obviously going to help us.”

For much of his time at Wyoming, Thiam has practiced with the scout squad. Although he will come off the bench initially, Schroyer has tried this week to mix him in with the first team.

“We’ve tried to make a conscious effort, especially early this week in practice, to give him reps with the brown team, just anticipating this day,” Schroyer said. “I think he is just excited to play. He gives us another dimension. He’s a guy who can really rebound the ball and he’s our most versatile defender.”

Wyoming senior guard Brandon Ewing is also excited to see Thiam on the court when it counts.

“If fans think we are athletic now, just wait until they see Djibril get up and down the court,” Ewing said. “He’s going to add another aspect to our game.”

While Schroyer has mentioned Thiam’s name for much of the season when talking about depth and the future, he said on Thursday to not expect “LeBron James to come in here and turn the world upside down.”

“He’s a sophomore, he sat out for a year,” Schroyer said. “There’s no question that four or five games under his belt, that he is really going to help this basketball team.”

Thiam also said that it will take him some time to get into a rhythm, but he is looking forward to contributing by the time the Mountain West Conference season begins on Jan. 3.

“These first couple of games will definitely help me get the chemistry with the team,” Thiam said. “Off the court, we already have that. I don’t think the basketball chemistry will be too hard.”

To ease Thiam into the game, Ewing said he has a plan.

“What I am going to try to do is get an early steal and get him a dunk, try to get him going that way,” Ewing said.

Thiam has been busy this week, not only with finals and practice, but interviews with the local media.

Is there some pressure on the Senegal native? He doesn’t think so.

“I’ve been playing basketball for a while now. I’ll just go out there and do what I do,” Thiam said.

Cowboys hold off Lions

Tyson Johnson


LOS ANGELES -- This nail-biter went the Cowboys way on Saturday, as Wyoming held off a game Loyola Marymount team 62-55.

The Cowboys, 6-1, led by 11 early in the second half, only to see the winless Lions (0-8) battle back for a 48-47 lead with 6:30 remaining.

Wyoming came right back behind the strong free-throw shooting of senior Tyson Johnson and held on for the win. Johnson, who had 16 points, was 7-of-8 from the line in the final six minutes.

“I think it was a great win for us, especially with our young kids,” Wyoming coach Heath Schroyer said on the post-game show on the Cowboy Sports Network. “We lost, obviously, a tough one at Boise in the last second and we came out here and we fought and we clawed and we found a way to win a game on (Loyola’s) Homecoming. I’m really proud of our guys. We overcame a lot in the last 48 hours, and we stepped up here and won a game.”

Freshman Afam Muojeke led the Cowboys with 19 points, hitting four 3-pointers in the first half as the Cowboys led 40-34 at halftime. Sean Ogirri also added 10 for Wyoming, which fell to Boise State 86-85 on a last-second shot on Wednesday in Boise.

Ogirri, who struggled shooting from the field (2-of-12), hit four clutch free throws in the final 24 seconds to keep the Lions at bay. Loyola cut the Wyoming lead to 58-55 with 10 seconds left, but the Cowboys closed the scoring on a pair of Ogirri free throws and a Muojeke layup at the buzzer.

Wyoming, which shot just three free throws in the first half, was 11-of-12 from the charity stripe down the stretch. The Cowboys were 15-of-19 in the game.

In the one-point loss to Boise State, the Cowboys missed 13 free throws.

“We talked about that a lot, especially after that last game,” Schroyer said. “We talk about that last play, but we left 13 free throws on the board in the last game. Tyson and Sean, in particular, they did what you hope your seniors do and that is knock down free throws down the stretch. I thought Ty, in the last four minutes, really came to play.”

Johnson, who had a game-high nine rebounds, also had a key block late in the game with the Cowboys holding on to a narrow lead.

Marco Deric led the Lions with 16 points, followed by LaRon Armstead with 15 and Kevin Young with 10.

Although Wyoming senior Brandon Ewing had his double-figures scoring streak snapped at 14 games with seven points. Ewing still dished out seven assists and played strong defensively, despite a bruised hand.

“I turned to Coach (Fred) Langley in the second half and said, ‘This is the best Brandon Ewing has played defensively since I have been here,’” Schroyer said. “I thought he took the challenge of guarding (Jared) DuBois and (Corey) Counts -- Sean as well. But Brandon ran the team. Defensively, he was phenomenal.”

Wyoming returns to action Saturday against Northern Iowa at the Casper Shootout. Tip-off is slated for 3:30 p.m.

“This is a big week for us because it is finals,” Schroyer said. “Guys are studying and preparing. We studied a few times this week here. Hopefully, we can heel some of our nagging injuries and get ready to play a very good Northern Iowa team.”