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