Muojeke, Cowboys roll in opener

Richard Anderson photo

Wyoming senior Tyson Johnson scores on a lay-in Friday against Cal State Bakersfield. At bottom, left, is redshirt freshman Adam Muojeke.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Afam Muojeke doesn’t look like a freshman art times and that has head coach Heath Schroyer smiling. Then he looks like a newcomer, in his first college game, and that has Schroyer in somewhat of a haze.

There, he sees Muojeke’s potential as unlimited.

Muojeke scored 31 points to lead Wyoming to an 84-58 win over Cal State Bakersfield Friday night in the season opener for both teams.

Schroyer said he was happy for Muojeke, who will see some added court time early in the season with junior Ryan Dermody out of the lineup with an elbow injury.

“Fans are going to watch him play and you are going to see a kid who oozes with potential,” Schroyer said. “You are going to see a kid who at times, like tonight, is farther along in the process. Then you are going to see that he is just a freshman and he is going to make some freshman mistakes.”

The Cowboys (1-0) overcame a slow start, but scored 18 straight points midway through the first half to take control. Muojeke was 12-of-12 from the free-throw line in the first half and had 19 points in the first half, including 13 straight. He finished 7 of 17 from the field, including 2-of-5 from beyond the 3-point arc. He nailed a desperation 30-footer in the second half to cap off the night.“It just went in,” Muojeke said with a wide smile. “Coach has been working in the off-season with me and I have been working hard. I’m just glad that it went in.”

Muojeke said senior guard Brandon Ewing has been a comforting influence for him, not only Friday night but in general.

“Brandon talked me through it like he does every game,“ Muojeke said. “He keeps my head level.”

Ewing, who finished with 14 points, said he tries to pump up Muojeke’s confidence as much as he can.

“I tell him that he can be one of the best freshmen, not only in the conference, but in the whole country,” Ewing said.

Muojeke also credited the return of Johnson, who sat out last week’s exhibition because of a suspension.

“Tyson Johnson brings a lot of pressure on other teams,“ Muojeke said. “And playing with these seniors, Brandon and Sean just open things up for me. I love playing with these guys."

After the slow start, Wyoming shot 44 percent from the field, but hit 8 of 16 3-pointers.

Santwon Latunde led Cal State Bakersfield (0-1) with 13 points, with Trent Blakley scoring 10.

Cal State Bakersfield, in the midst of a five-year transition period as they moved from Division II to Division I, led early as Wyoming missed its first six shots from the field. The Roadrunners, however, scored just three points in an 11-minute time span, as Wyoming took control, leading 46-25 at halftime.

Cal State Bakersfield coach Keith Brown said the Cowboys made some adjustments and had more energy as his team was stuck on 18. The Roadrunners shot just 30 percent from the field and hit just 2 of 17 3-pointers.

“Some of it is nerves, some of it is length,” Brown said. “There is no substitute for it when you get to the next level and you are playing against length in multiple positions and you think you’ve got space and you don’t.”