Wyoming-BYU boxscore
By Wyoming Sports.org
PROVO, Utah -- Brigham Young limped a little into Saturday’s matchup with Wyoming, but walked out feeling a lot better after thumping the Cowboys 84-60 in the Marriott Center.
With a few players banged up, including starting guard Jackson Emery, the Cougars turned to guard Jimmer Fredette, who scored 19 of his career-high 28 points in the first half as BYU pulled away early.
“Jimmer was playing really well to start the game,” BYU coach Dave said Rose. “He has a couple different gears that he plays in, which is what I think makes him successful. He did a good job of focusing, guarding his man, and then later in the game made some good shots.”
BYU (16-5, 4-3 Mountain West) outscored Wyoming 38-12 in the paint and the Cougars' bench outscored Wyoming's reserves 20-4.
The Cougars were also coming into the game off of a tough overtime loss to rival Utah. BYU played with more incentive than the Cowboys, who saw their two-game win streak snapped.
“We knew that BYU would come out with a lot of energy,” Wyoming coach Heath Schroyer said on his postgame radio show on the Cowboy Sports Network. “They’re good. You don’t win 53 out of 55 home games in this building if you are not good. I give them a lot credit, they played really well. We tried to take some things away, we did a nice job of taking (Jonathan) Tavernari away, and Fredette went for a career.”
Tavernari, who went into the game averaging 17 points, scored just five points.
The Cougars, however, got 17 points from Lee Cummard and shot 57 percent from the field in the game. Chris Miles and Noah Hartsock also scored in double-figures, with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
“Sometimes your confidence can get shaken when you lose a game or two, but our team is really focused,” said Rose. “We really needed this win, so I give credit to these guys.”
BYU held Wyoming (14-7, 3-4) to 35 percent shooting for the game and forced 17 turnovers.
Freshman Afam Muojeke led the Cowboys with 17, while senior Brandon Ewing scored 15.
Muojeke also grabbed seven rebounds in the game and has averaged 7.0 rebounds in his last four contests.
“He’s becoming such a good player. I’m really happy about that,” Schroyer said.
Fredette's steal and layup with 9:26 remaining in the first half gave BYU a 20 point lead at 32-12. Wyoming was never able to get closer than 14 the rest of the way and trailed by as many as 30 late in the game.
“We didn’t play every well. I thought that was probably the biggest disappointment for me,” Schroyer said.
The Cowboys will continue on the road as they face New Mexico Tuesday in The Pit in Albuquerque.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
Cowboys look for road breakthrough at BYU
By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org
Wyoming head coach Heath Schroyer has been around enough to borrow a few sports clichés when he needs them.
One, of course, is taking it one-game-at-a-time. The other has to do with the emotional aspect of the game.
“I’ve learned a long time go and I tell my guys, ‘You can’t get too high, you can’t get too low,'" Schroyer said earlier this week.
The Cowboys, 3-3 in the Mountain West, 14-6 overall, have been on both ends of the spectrum this season and chances are that will continue as Wyoming travels to Provo on Saturday to take on BYU, beginning at 4 p.m. in the Marriott Center. On Tuesday, the Cowboys face New Mexico in the Pit in Albuquerque.
Hence, the little two-game win streak for Wyoming is good for their morale, but means very little in the Mountain West Conference these days.
“Every game in this league is a war, every game in this league is a bloodbath and battle; this is going to be no different,“ Schroyer said. “Any time you have a chance to get a road win, it is an absolute plus. You try to take care of home the best that you can. That is what this league has become, it is so good.
“I don’t put in any more stock in one game or an other. I’ve talked to the guys and I’ve said this before, there are two keys for us: Can we get a little bit better each day? Are we ready to play and can we play to the best of our ability for 40 minutes? If you do those things, and those are your goals, the winning and the losing usually takes care of itself.”
If there is a time for the Cowboys to go to the Marriott Center and steal a win, it might be now. The Cougars are just 3-3 in league play and not only had their 53-game home win streak snapped by Wake Forest earlier in the season, but they fell to UNLV at home last week.
With that said, Schroyer isn’t buying into the notion that the Cougars are down this season.
“We’re going to have to have really good games from a lot of people, complete games from a lot of people, to go there and compete with them,” Schroyer said. “They are a very good team. The biggest thing that worries me is I am taking so many guys to play for the first time at BYU. You can talk about it, but when you go through it, there are 17-19,000 people, an unbelievable student section that is on your butt from the warmups. Just being able to withstand that and focus on a game plan is probably the biggest thing that I worry about with all of our young kids.”
BYU, 15-5, is also coming off a tough 94-88 overtime loss to rival Utah on Tuesday in Salt Lake City.
That probably doesn’t bode well for the Cowboys or any other team coming into Provo, as Schroyer said that notoriously, the Cougars have always come off of losses -- especially coming back home -- and got after it.
BYU’s big three scoring threat includes senior forward Lee Cummard (17.3 ppg), junior forward Jonathan Tavernari (17.2 ppg) and sophomore guard Jimmer Fredette (14.2 ppg).
“They have four guys on the perimeter that could go for 20 on any given night -- Jackson Emery, Jimmer Fredette, Lee Cummard and Jonathan Tavernari,” Schroyer said. “They are all very talented offensive players. They play together, they are unselfish, they are very good. Don’t read into their record, they have had some tough losses themselves. They are really special at their place.”
Emery, who is averaging 8.1 points a game, however, is a game-time decision because of a shoulder injury. If he doesn’t go, Lamont Morgan Jr. (4.8 ppg) will start. Junior center Chris Myles (7.1 ppg) fills out the BYU starting lineup.
The Cowboys counter BYU’s offensive prowess with four players scoring in double figures led by s senior guard Brandon Ewing (18.4 ppg), senior forward Tyson Johnson (15.7 ppg), freshman forward Afam Muojeke (15.5 ppg) and senior guard Sean Ogirri (15.0 ppg).
For the Cowboys, it has all been about improving on the road this season. Wyoming opened with a lop-sided loss at Utah, played well at times in the loss at UNLV and just missed a road win at TCU, losing on a late 3-pointer in overtime.
“Obviously at TCU, we had a chance and we didn’t, but we are better,” Schroyer said. “Every time our young guys have been able to go on the road, they have gotten better. We’re going to get as good of a shot as anybody has all year."
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Wyoming Cowboys (14-6 overall, 3-3 in MWC)
Probable Starters Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown PPG RPG APG/BPG
F #11 Afam Muojeke 6-7 210 R-Fr. Jamaica, Queens, N.Y. 15.5 4.4 1.6
F #21 Tyson Johnson 6-7 245 Sr. Long Island, N.Y. 15.7 8.4 2.1
C #15 Adam Waddell 6-10 235 R-Fr. Cody, Wyo. 5.5 3.8 0.9*
G # 0 Sean Ogirri 6-3 200 R-Sr. Denver, Colo. 15.0 2.4 2.7
G #23 Brandon Ewing 6-2 190 Sr. Chicago, Ill. 18.4 3.4 5.3
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 #13 Mikhail Linskens 7-0 260 So. Bredene, Belgium 3.2 3.9 0.8*
F #25 Djibril Thiam 6-10 205 So. Dakar, Senegal 5.0 6.5 1.1*
F #32 Mahamoud Diakite 6-7 225 Jr. Paris, France 1.5 2.0 0.5*
C #33 Boubacar Sylla^ 7-2 275 So. Paris, France Redshirting
G #51 A.J. Davis 6-6 195 Fr. Columbus, Ohio 3.0 2.4 0.8
*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: 61-71 (.462), Fifth year
Record at Wyoming: 26-24 (.520), Second year
Assistant Coaches: Fred Langley (Fresno State ‘87), Shaun Vandiver (Colorado ‘02)
and Anthony Stewart (Mount Union ‘93)
---
BYU Cougars (15-5 overall, 3-3 in MWC)
Probable Starters Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown PPG RPG APG
F #30 Lee Cummard 6-7 190 Sr. Mesa, Ariz. 17.3 6.2 3.4
F #45 Jonathan Tavernari 6-6 215 Jr. Sao Bernardo, Brazil 17.3 7.1 2.1
C #54 Chris Miles 6-11 235 Jr. Provo, Utah 7.1 3.8 1.4
G # 4 Jackson Emery 6-3 185 So. Alpine, Utah 8.1 4.2 3.2
G #32 Jimmer Fredette 6-2 195 So. Glens Falls, N.Y. 14.9 2.8 4.6
Reserves
G/F # 1 Charles Abouo 6-5 210 Fr. Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire 3.5 2.0 0.6
G # 2 Lamont Morgan, Jr. 5-10 170 Jr. Pomona, Calif. 4.8 1.7 1.7
G # 5 Archie Rose 6-5 210 Sr. Nassau, Bahamas 3.1 2.5 0.3
G #10 Michael Loyd, Jr. 6-1 170 So. Las Vegas, Nev. Redshirting
F/C #15 James Anderson 6-10 230 Fr. Page, Ariz. 1.9 1.3 0.2
G #20 Matt Pinegar 6-0 190 Fr. Provo, Utah 0.2 0.2 0.1
F #34 Noah Hartsock 6-8 215 Fr. Bartlesville, Okla. 1.6 1.6 0.2
F #35 Michael Boswell 6-9 215 Fr. Aloha, Ore. Redshirting
F/C #53 Gavin MacGregor 6-10 240 Sr. Ridgecrest, Calif. 2.8 2.4 0.1
Head Coach: Dace Rose (Houston ’83)
Overall Record: 87-31 (.737), Fourth Season
Record at BYU: Same
Assistant Coaches: Dave Rice, John Wardenburg and Terry Nashif
Wyoming Sports.org
Wyoming head coach Heath Schroyer has been around enough to borrow a few sports clichés when he needs them.
One, of course, is taking it one-game-at-a-time. The other has to do with the emotional aspect of the game.
“I’ve learned a long time go and I tell my guys, ‘You can’t get too high, you can’t get too low,'" Schroyer said earlier this week.
The Cowboys, 3-3 in the Mountain West, 14-6 overall, have been on both ends of the spectrum this season and chances are that will continue as Wyoming travels to Provo on Saturday to take on BYU, beginning at 4 p.m. in the Marriott Center. On Tuesday, the Cowboys face New Mexico in the Pit in Albuquerque.
Hence, the little two-game win streak for Wyoming is good for their morale, but means very little in the Mountain West Conference these days.
“Every game in this league is a war, every game in this league is a bloodbath and battle; this is going to be no different,“ Schroyer said. “Any time you have a chance to get a road win, it is an absolute plus. You try to take care of home the best that you can. That is what this league has become, it is so good.
“I don’t put in any more stock in one game or an other. I’ve talked to the guys and I’ve said this before, there are two keys for us: Can we get a little bit better each day? Are we ready to play and can we play to the best of our ability for 40 minutes? If you do those things, and those are your goals, the winning and the losing usually takes care of itself.”
If there is a time for the Cowboys to go to the Marriott Center and steal a win, it might be now. The Cougars are just 3-3 in league play and not only had their 53-game home win streak snapped by Wake Forest earlier in the season, but they fell to UNLV at home last week.
With that said, Schroyer isn’t buying into the notion that the Cougars are down this season.
“We’re going to have to have really good games from a lot of people, complete games from a lot of people, to go there and compete with them,” Schroyer said. “They are a very good team. The biggest thing that worries me is I am taking so many guys to play for the first time at BYU. You can talk about it, but when you go through it, there are 17-19,000 people, an unbelievable student section that is on your butt from the warmups. Just being able to withstand that and focus on a game plan is probably the biggest thing that I worry about with all of our young kids.”
BYU, 15-5, is also coming off a tough 94-88 overtime loss to rival Utah on Tuesday in Salt Lake City.
That probably doesn’t bode well for the Cowboys or any other team coming into Provo, as Schroyer said that notoriously, the Cougars have always come off of losses -- especially coming back home -- and got after it.
BYU’s big three scoring threat includes senior forward Lee Cummard (17.3 ppg), junior forward Jonathan Tavernari (17.2 ppg) and sophomore guard Jimmer Fredette (14.2 ppg).
“They have four guys on the perimeter that could go for 20 on any given night -- Jackson Emery, Jimmer Fredette, Lee Cummard and Jonathan Tavernari,” Schroyer said. “They are all very talented offensive players. They play together, they are unselfish, they are very good. Don’t read into their record, they have had some tough losses themselves. They are really special at their place.”
Emery, who is averaging 8.1 points a game, however, is a game-time decision because of a shoulder injury. If he doesn’t go, Lamont Morgan Jr. (4.8 ppg) will start. Junior center Chris Myles (7.1 ppg) fills out the BYU starting lineup.
The Cowboys counter BYU’s offensive prowess with four players scoring in double figures led by s senior guard Brandon Ewing (18.4 ppg), senior forward Tyson Johnson (15.7 ppg), freshman forward Afam Muojeke (15.5 ppg) and senior guard Sean Ogirri (15.0 ppg).
For the Cowboys, it has all been about improving on the road this season. Wyoming opened with a lop-sided loss at Utah, played well at times in the loss at UNLV and just missed a road win at TCU, losing on a late 3-pointer in overtime.
“Obviously at TCU, we had a chance and we didn’t, but we are better,” Schroyer said. “Every time our young guys have been able to go on the road, they have gotten better. We’re going to get as good of a shot as anybody has all year."
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Wyoming Cowboys (14-6 overall, 3-3 in MWC)
Probable Starters Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown PPG RPG APG/BPG
F #11 Afam Muojeke 6-7 210 R-Fr. Jamaica, Queens, N.Y. 15.5 4.4 1.6
F #21 Tyson Johnson 6-7 245 Sr. Long Island, N.Y. 15.7 8.4 2.1
C #15 Adam Waddell 6-10 235 R-Fr. Cody, Wyo. 5.5 3.8 0.9*
G # 0 Sean Ogirri 6-3 200 R-Sr. Denver, Colo. 15.0 2.4 2.7
G #23 Brandon Ewing 6-2 190 Sr. Chicago, Ill. 18.4 3.4 5.3
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 #13 Mikhail Linskens 7-0 260 So. Bredene, Belgium 3.2 3.9 0.8*
F #25 Djibril Thiam 6-10 205 So. Dakar, Senegal 5.0 6.5 1.1*
F #32 Mahamoud Diakite 6-7 225 Jr. Paris, France 1.5 2.0 0.5*
C #33 Boubacar Sylla^ 7-2 275 So. Paris, France Redshirting
G #51 A.J. Davis 6-6 195 Fr. Columbus, Ohio 3.0 2.4 0.8
*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: 61-71 (.462), Fifth year
Record at Wyoming: 26-24 (.520), Second year
Assistant Coaches: Fred Langley (Fresno State ‘87), Shaun Vandiver (Colorado ‘02)
and Anthony Stewart (Mount Union ‘93)
---
BYU Cougars (15-5 overall, 3-3 in MWC)
Probable Starters Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown PPG RPG APG
F #30 Lee Cummard 6-7 190 Sr. Mesa, Ariz. 17.3 6.2 3.4
F #45 Jonathan Tavernari 6-6 215 Jr. Sao Bernardo, Brazil 17.3 7.1 2.1
C #54 Chris Miles 6-11 235 Jr. Provo, Utah 7.1 3.8 1.4
G # 4 Jackson Emery 6-3 185 So. Alpine, Utah 8.1 4.2 3.2
G #32 Jimmer Fredette 6-2 195 So. Glens Falls, N.Y. 14.9 2.8 4.6
Reserves
G/F # 1 Charles Abouo 6-5 210 Fr. Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire 3.5 2.0 0.6
G # 2 Lamont Morgan, Jr. 5-10 170 Jr. Pomona, Calif. 4.8 1.7 1.7
G # 5 Archie Rose 6-5 210 Sr. Nassau, Bahamas 3.1 2.5 0.3
G #10 Michael Loyd, Jr. 6-1 170 So. Las Vegas, Nev. Redshirting
F/C #15 James Anderson 6-10 230 Fr. Page, Ariz. 1.9 1.3 0.2
G #20 Matt Pinegar 6-0 190 Fr. Provo, Utah 0.2 0.2 0.1
F #34 Noah Hartsock 6-8 215 Fr. Bartlesville, Okla. 1.6 1.6 0.2
F #35 Michael Boswell 6-9 215 Fr. Aloha, Ore. Redshirting
F/C #53 Gavin MacGregor 6-10 240 Sr. Ridgecrest, Calif. 2.8 2.4 0.1
Head Coach: Dace Rose (Houston ’83)
Overall Record: 87-31 (.737), Fourth Season
Record at BYU: Same
Assistant Coaches: Dave Rice, John Wardenburg and Terry Nashif
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Muojeke improving on the boards
Richard Anderson photoWyoming freshman Afam Muojeke looks to pass the ball against Air Force.
By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org
From the very beginning, Wyoming redshirt freshman Afam Muojeke has shown the ability to score. The lanky 6-foot-7 forward scored 31 points in the season opener against Cal State Bakersfield.
What Muojeke has been a little slower to develop on the Division I level has been his defense and rebounding. Both are coming along and Muojeke showed that rebounding can be a big part of his game, with his first double-double on Tuesday against Air Force, when he scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
Muojeke, who averages 15.5 points a game, went into the game grabbing just 4.1 rebounds a contest, with his previous high of nine boards against Sacramento State early in the season.
“One thing that I thought he could always do better is rebound the ball,” Wyoming coach Heath Schroyer said. “It has really showed that in the last couple of games. He is a special player, a special talent and he’s just a freshman. He’s going to have ups and downs. The one thing that I talked about is rebounding is something that is a constant. When you are struggling from the field, getting one or two offensive rebounds and put-backs can help you; also it can help ignite our break by him getting a defensive rebound.”
Schroyer said the nice thing about Muojeke is that he is very coachable.
“He wants to be the best player that he can be,” he said. “For me, as a coach and as a coaching staff, he is a great guy to coach.”
Defensively, Schroyer said that like the team, Muojeke is improving.
“He’s continuing to get better. He works hard at it and he watches film,” Schroyer said. “He is doing all of the things to make him a well-rounded player. Unfortunately, it takes some time. He is a freshman and he is playing 35-plus minutes. But he is going to be a special player. As his career goes on, he is not only going to be just a scorer, but a very rounded basketball player.”
Free throws are charitable for Cowboys
Wyoming went into Tuesday’s game as the top free throws made team in the country and No. 2 in free throws attempted. They likely didn’t hurt that ranking by sinking 26 of 35 free throws against the Falcons.
Free-throw shooting hasn’t always been a strength for the Wyoming program, but it is being emphasized under Schroyer. As a team, the Cowboys are shooting .741 (.434-of-586) for the season. Individually, three Cowboys are shooting over 80 percent -- senior guard Sean Ogirri at .935 (43-of-46), senior forward Tyson Johnson at .856 (113-of-132) and senior guard Brandon Ewing at .809 (140-of-173).
Schroyer said that they chart their free throws and he has one assistant keep him informed on where they are at throughout the game.
“We have a goal and our goal is to get there 40 times a game,” Schroyer said. “We talk about getting the ball to the third side, getting the ball to the post and back out, creating close-outs on the perimeter. Those are things, concept-wise, that we really talk about. I learned a long time ago that whatever you emphasize a lot, then you are pretty good at it and we emphasize it.”
Schroyer said that getting to the free-throw line leads to unselfishness.
“A lot of times when teams foul you it is because you have made them rotate and rotate two or three times, which means we are sharing the ball,” he said. “Assists don’t show up on a free-throw attempt, but there are times that when you are getting to the free-throw line, it is because of the extra pass that makes a defense rotate a second time.”
Dermody closer to return
Wyoming junior wing Ryan Dermody, who has been out the entire season with an elbow injury, is getting closer to making his first appearance. On Thursday, Dermody practiced in full contact for the first time.
“Maybe New Mexico,” Schroyer said earlier on Thursday about Dermody’s first game. The Cowboys play the Lobos Tuesday in Albuquerque.
Dermody averaged 9.3 points a game last season in his first year as a starter.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Davis, Johnson ignite Cowboys
At left, A.J. Davis and at right, Tyson Johnson
By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org
A.J. Davis is learning to be the spark to the Cowboys’ fire.
Davis has had his ups and downs, like many true freshmen do. He’s not played in two games this season and has started three others.
On Tuesday against Air Force, Davis scored six points in the second half, grabbed five rebounds, had one big steal and one length of the court assist to lead the Cowboys to the 72-59 victory.
“Coach just told me to come in and play with high energy, the team needed me,” Davis said. “I just came in and did what I had to do on defense and offense.”
His steal was critical, as the Cowboys had just turned the ball over with a slim 45-43 lead. Instead of giving up a possible game-tying basket, Davis out-jumped an Air Force player for the ball and got it back into the hands of senior forward Tyson Johnson, who eventfully scored on a layup.
The Cowboys never looked back.
“I felt that was a big play and I felt that A.J. made a lot of big plays in the second half,” Schroyer said. “He didn’t settle, he attacked the glass and did what this team needs A.J. to do. He’s a true freshman and he is just another young guy who is getting his feet wet. It is great to see as a program a lot of these guys starting to grow. I thought A.J. was a big difference tonight.”
Davis said it was just a matter of getting to the ball first, something he has the ability to do with his athletic prowess.
“I was in the air and I just wanted to go get it and give it to my teammates for a chance to score,” Davis said.
After a rebound, Davis then found senior guard Brandon Ewing cherry-picking down by the Wyoming bench. Ewing turned that long pass into a layup.
“He was just talking to coach and I just looked back to see him and threw it down to him,” Davis said. “Coach would have taken me out if I would have missed the pass.”
Johnson stays steady
How do you follow up being named the Mountain West Conference Co-Player of the Week? How about by scoring 18 points and grabbing eight rebounds.
Johnson continued his outstanding play as of late and was a big key for the Cowboys bin the second half as they made their run. Johnson, always hard to stop on the block, scored 12 points in the second half, whether it was by laying the ball in or drawing the foul. He was 10-of-10 from the line in the game.
“We weren’t getting any inside buckets, so coach wanted to get some inside buckets and get to the free-throw line, and that’s what we did,” Johnson said.
Schroyer said that Johnson is just doing what he has expected the senior to do.
“Tyson is one of the first players that I recruited here; I love the kid,” Schroyer said. “He has the ability to score on the block. He is kind of the heartbeat, he and Brandon. But he runs that locker room with an iron fist. No one messes with Tyson Johnson. I thought we did a good job of getting him the ball. We ran a couple of screens internally to try to get him the ball. When we do that, things open up on the perimeter and Sean was able to get some shots and get some penetration.”
Normally mild mannered on and off the court, Johnson showed a little extra emotion when he was whistled for an offensive foul in the second half after converting a layup. It was one of several offensive fouls the Cowboys were called for in the game, much to their chagrin as well as their fans’ discontent.
“Air Force likes to flop and he just fell. But they called an offensive foul on me and that is basketball,” Johnson said.
Wyoming Sports.org
A.J. Davis is learning to be the spark to the Cowboys’ fire.
Davis has had his ups and downs, like many true freshmen do. He’s not played in two games this season and has started three others.
On Tuesday against Air Force, Davis scored six points in the second half, grabbed five rebounds, had one big steal and one length of the court assist to lead the Cowboys to the 72-59 victory.
“Coach just told me to come in and play with high energy, the team needed me,” Davis said. “I just came in and did what I had to do on defense and offense.”
His steal was critical, as the Cowboys had just turned the ball over with a slim 45-43 lead. Instead of giving up a possible game-tying basket, Davis out-jumped an Air Force player for the ball and got it back into the hands of senior forward Tyson Johnson, who eventfully scored on a layup.
The Cowboys never looked back.
“I felt that was a big play and I felt that A.J. made a lot of big plays in the second half,” Schroyer said. “He didn’t settle, he attacked the glass and did what this team needs A.J. to do. He’s a true freshman and he is just another young guy who is getting his feet wet. It is great to see as a program a lot of these guys starting to grow. I thought A.J. was a big difference tonight.”
Davis said it was just a matter of getting to the ball first, something he has the ability to do with his athletic prowess.
“I was in the air and I just wanted to go get it and give it to my teammates for a chance to score,” Davis said.
After a rebound, Davis then found senior guard Brandon Ewing cherry-picking down by the Wyoming bench. Ewing turned that long pass into a layup.
“He was just talking to coach and I just looked back to see him and threw it down to him,” Davis said. “Coach would have taken me out if I would have missed the pass.”
Johnson stays steady
How do you follow up being named the Mountain West Conference Co-Player of the Week? How about by scoring 18 points and grabbing eight rebounds.
Johnson continued his outstanding play as of late and was a big key for the Cowboys bin the second half as they made their run. Johnson, always hard to stop on the block, scored 12 points in the second half, whether it was by laying the ball in or drawing the foul. He was 10-of-10 from the line in the game.
“We weren’t getting any inside buckets, so coach wanted to get some inside buckets and get to the free-throw line, and that’s what we did,” Johnson said.
Schroyer said that Johnson is just doing what he has expected the senior to do.
“Tyson is one of the first players that I recruited here; I love the kid,” Schroyer said. “He has the ability to score on the block. He is kind of the heartbeat, he and Brandon. But he runs that locker room with an iron fist. No one messes with Tyson Johnson. I thought we did a good job of getting him the ball. We ran a couple of screens internally to try to get him the ball. When we do that, things open up on the perimeter and Sean was able to get some shots and get some penetration.”
Normally mild mannered on and off the court, Johnson showed a little extra emotion when he was whistled for an offensive foul in the second half after converting a layup. It was one of several offensive fouls the Cowboys were called for in the game, much to their chagrin as well as their fans’ discontent.
“Air Force likes to flop and he just fell. But they called an offensive foul on me and that is basketball,” Johnson said.
Cowboys finish strong to beat AFA
Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming's Djibril Thiam guards Air Force's Anwar Johnson on Tuesday night.
Wyoming-Air Force statistics
by Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org
Putting 40 minutes together offensively and defensively has been somewhat of a problem for the Wyoming Cowboys this season. They got a solid 25 or so on Tuesday, and it was more than enough, as they toppled Air Force 72-59 in the Arena-Arena.
Air Force led 32-31 at halftime and only trailed 45-43 with 10:50 to play, but the Cowboys stopped the Falcons on six straight possessions to regain the momentum.
“The first half we played lazy, I kind of felt like,” Wyoming guard Sean Ogirri said. “In the second half, we started denying, we made them put the ball on the floor and that really helped us.”
The Cowboys, 3-3 in Mountain West, 14-6 overall, scored nine straight points midway through the second half for some separation, and then closed strong on the free-throw line for the double-digit win.
“Coming onto the second half, we needed to be more assertive both offensively and defensively," said Wyoming senior forward Tyson Johnson, who led the Cowboys with 18 points.
Wyoming head coach Heath Schroyer said the Falcons came out with a good game plan and got the Cowboys back on their heels.
“I think we settled for jump shots. We had 24 shots in the first half and 12 were 3s, and that is not us,“ Schroyer said. “That’s what we talked about going into halftime -- we’re settling, we’re not get post-ups, we’re not attacking the basket. I think we spent too much time trying to figure out what they were trying to do instead of playing our principles, play our rules, and do what we do."
Schroyer said playing a complete game has been a problem for them, whether it is at home or on the road.
“Even at TCU, we kind of go through lulls. It is something we’re going to address (Wednesday),” he said. "Depth is going to have to step up, our bench is going to have to step up."
What do the Cowboys have to do to be a little more consistent inside each game?
“I think we just have to play on our toes and be aggressive, just have the mindset that we’re going to win and attack everybody,” Ogirri said.
The win put Wyoming at 3-3 in Mountain West Conference play and 14-6 overall. The Cowboys have now won 10 straight at home this season and 11 straight overall dating back to last season.
The loss was the seventh straight for Air Force, 0-6, 9-10.
Leading by seven, the Cowboys closed on a 16-10 run.
“Tonight, I thought with played 31 minutes of really good basketball and it was last nine minutes that really took the toll on us,” Air Force coach Jeff Reynolds said.
Senior guard Brandon Ewing finished with 17 points for Wyoming, which is 10-0 at home this season. Afam Muojeke and Ogirri added 16 and 14 points respectively for the Cowboys.
“Wyoming had four players averaging double figures and all four of those guys got double figures tonight,” Reynolds said. “They are going to win a lot of games if you aren’t going to defend them.”
The Cowboys were 26-of-35 from the free-throw line in the game. Wyoming is currently No. 1 in the nation in made free throws and second in free throws attempted. Johnson was 10-of-10 and Ewing 11-of-14 from the line.
“It’s such a huge thing in what we try to do,” Schroyer said of free-throw shooting. “We talk about it every day in practice and we emphasize getting to the free-throw line. I thought we did a nice job of not settling in the second half and attacking the basket.”
The Falcons were just 5-of-9 from the line as Andrew Henke led Air Force with 18 points, with Anwar Johnson adding 10.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Cowboys home again against Falcons
Wyoming senior Tyson Johnson was named the Mountain West Conference Player of the Week.By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org
The Wyoming Cowboys finally get two straight home games on their schedule.
Yet, instead of being on the normal Wednesday-Saturday rotation, the Cowboys host Air Force Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the A-A against a Falcons team that has had a week to prepare.
At least Wyoming is at home. For the Cowboys, that is a good thing as they are 10-0 in the A-A this season.
“The scary thing is they have had about a week to prepare for us and we’ve had about a day and a half to try to incorporate a game plan against them, which is not very easy,” Wyoming coach Heath Schroyer said.
The Falcons haven’t been the same Air Force team as it has been in the past few years, as they lost a number of good players to graduation. Air Force is 0-5 in Mountain West Conference play and 9-9 on the season.
With that said, Schroyer is not taking the Falcons lightly.
“I think they are a pretty good team and they are very well coached,” Schroyer said. “They are somewhat similar to us; they are trying to incorporate a lot of new guys. They are very dangerous. They probably should have beat TCU at home. They are tough to play because it is something you don’t see every day. I have the utmost respect for Jeff Reynolds. He does a great job.”
Senior Anwar Johnson is currently leading the Falcons at 13.6 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. Seniors Matt Holland and Andrew Henke are also averaging double figures 11.9 and 10.9 points per game respectively.
“They are going to try to post our guards with Anwar Johnson and Evan Washington,” Schroyer said. “I think another thing that scares me is they are not going to shoot 27 percent from all year. There is no question that they are very, very capable and prepared to play. We’re going to have to play extremely well.”
It’s a two-headed monster when you try to prepare for the Falcons, Schroyer said, because you have to have the ability to score and also be patient against their structured offense.
“There is no question that they are going to come in with some different things offensively -- different sets, different backdoor cuts, different kinds of things," he said. “For us, it will be important to play on our toes and try to free their mind. You have a tendency to get so bogged down in every single movement -- especially in a day and a half, it is too hard to try to memorize everything they do.
“The other thing that we have to do is make sure you have the ability to score. People spend so much time trying to figure out how to defend them, their defense has caused people so many problems throughout the years. It’s a two-headed monster. For us, we’re going to have to be able to score and we’re going to have to try to defend them the best that we can.”
Johnson earns Player of Week honors
Quiet on and off the court, Wyoming senior Tyson Johnson spoke up last week to become the Mountain West Conference Men’s Basketball Co-Player of the Week.
Johnson helped lead the Cowboys to a 1-1 record on the week, losing an overtime battle at first-place TCU (78-79) and defeating rival Colorado State (83-74) at home.On the week, Johnson scored 37 points and pulled down 17 rebounds for a weekly average of 18.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. Johnson finished the week shooting 70.6 percent from the field (12-for-17) and 92.3 percent from the free-throw line (12-for-13). Schroyer said the honor is another notch in Johnson’s belt because so many teams now have tried to scheme to take him away.
“He’s really been able to score and rebound without a lot of sets called for him," Schroyer said. “I think he is starting to flow in our motion offense the last couple of weeks more so than he has since he has been here. It is a credit to him. The thing that people really don’t know about him is that he us a superior kid, just a Class A individual. He is great in the locker room and he has been just an absolute joy to have here.”
At TCU, Johnson scored 18 points on 6-for-11 shooting and pulled down eight rebounds. With 13 seconds left in regulation, he knocked down only his second 3-pointer of the season to send the game to overtime.
In UW’s win over Colorado State, Johnson was a perfect 6-for-6 from the field and 7-of-8 from the charity stripe in scoring 19 points. He also grabbed nine rebounds, dished out two assists and blocked one shot.
Johnson shares the MWC’s weekly award with UNLV’s Tre’Von Willis.
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Wyoming Cowboys (2-3 in MWC, 13-6 overall)
Probable Starters Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown PPG RPG APG/BPG
F #11 Afam Muojeke 6-7 210 R-Fr. Jamaica, Queens, N.Y. 15.5 4.1 1.7
F #21 Tyson Johnson 6-7 245 Sr. Long Island, N.Y. 15.5 8.4 2.1
C #15 Adam Waddell 6-10 235 R-Fr. Cody, Wyo. 5.8 4.0 0.9*
G # 0 Sean Ogirri 6-3 200 R-Sr. Denver, Colo. 15.0 2.5 2.7
G #23 Brandon Ewing 6-2 190 Sr. Chicago, Ill. 18.5 3.3 5.1
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 #13 Mikhail Linskens 7-0 260 So. Bredene, Belgium 3.2 3.9 0.8*
F #25 Djibril Thiam 6-10 205 So. Dakar, Senegal 5.3 6.8 1.1*
F #32 Mahamoud Diakite 6-7 225 Jr. Paris, France 1.6 2.1 0.5*
C #33 Boubacar Sylla^ 7-2 275 So. Paris, France Redshirting
G #51 A.J. Davis 6-6 195 Fr. Columbus, Ohio 2.8 2.3 0.8
*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: 60-71 (.458), Fifth year
Record at Wyoming: 25-24 (.510), Second year
Assistant Coaches: Fred Langley (Fresno State ‘87), Shaun Vandiver (Colorado ‘02)
and Anthony Stewart (Mount Union ‘93
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Air Force Falcons (0-5 in MWC, 9-9 overall)
Probable Starters Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown PPG RPG APG
F #31 Matt Holland 6-6 205 Sr. Dallas, Texas 11.9 3.4 1.3
F #42 Anwar Johnson 6-5 200 Sr. St. Gabriel, La. 13.6 4.0 2.1
C #50 Grant Parker 6-7 220 Jr. Aurora, Colo. 6.3 3.4 0.6
G #10 Andrew Henke 6-6 215 Sr Minnetonka, Minn. 10.9 4.2 2.4
G #35 Evan Washington 6-4 195 So. Columbus, Ohio 8.0 5.1 2.3
Reserves
G # 3 Brandon Provost 6-3 188 Fr. Houston, Texas 0.0 0.3 0.0
G #12 Jon Atkins 6-3 174 Fr. Las Vegas, Nev. 1.3 1.3 0.5
F #13 Trevor Noonan 6-9 215 Fr. Broomfield, Colo. 1.3 1.6 1.1
G/F #15 Taylor Stewart 6-5 190 Fr. Lexington, Ky. 3.8 2.1 0.8
F #20 Tom Fow 6-6 197 So. Scottsdale, Ariz. Hasn’t yet played
C #21 Phillip Brown 6-7 230 So. Jonesboro, Ga. 1.0 0.0 0.0
G #22 Avery Merriex 6-3 190 Jr. Denver, Colo. 1.9 0.7 0.4
G #32 Shawn Hempsey 6-1 186 Fr. Encinitas, Calif. 0.4 0.8 0.2
C #33 Mike McLain 6-8 235 Jr. Portland, Ore. 1.2 1.7 1.0
C #34 Sammy Schafer 6-10 205 Fr. Oregon City, Ore. 2.0 1.3 0.8
Head Coach: Jeff Reynolds (UNC Greensbro ’78)
Overall Record: 107-57 (.652), Sixth Season
Record at Air Force: 25-23 (.521), Second Season
Assistant Coaches: Dave Pilipovich, Steve Snell, Rob Pryor, Kevin Carroll and Capt. Tyron Wright
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Thiam gives Cowboys a spark
At left, Djibril ThiamBy Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org
Djibril Thiam has progressed for the Cowboys, just over a month into officially beginning his Wyoming career.
A transfer from Baylor, Thiam was not eligible until the middle of December, just at the end of the first semester at UW.
On Saturday, he showed glimpses of what head coach Heath Schroyer saw in getting him to become a Cowboy.
Thiam scored eight points, grabbed four rebounds and finished with two blocks and one steal in 25 minutes in the 83-74 win over Colorado State.
During a late 45-second time span, Thiam was instrumental in the Cowboys ability to hold on for the win, as he had a big offensive rebound off of a missed free throw, scored a basket and then had a big block on the other end of the court.
Schroyer said that the 6-foot-10 Thiam is beginning to come into his own.
“I don’t think you can pigeon-hole Djibril into one thing. I don’t think you can say he’s a scorer on the block, or he’s a shooter or he’s just a defender,” Schroyer said. “He just does so many different things. Again, he hasn’t played a full year at this level and you can start to see that he is going to be a real special player. I thought he gave us great minutes. He does a lot of things; block a shot here, get a steal there, get an offensive rebound on a free throw. Those are so many things that lead to wins.”
Thiam echoed Schroyer’s thoughts by saying there are a lot of different things he can bring to the Cowboys.
“With all of the offense that we have with Sean (Ogirri), Brandon (Ewing), Afam (Muojeke) and Tyson, (Johnson), I don’t need to go out there and be a big scorer,” Thiam said. “I can bring energy, defense and rebounding. Then I can just let my flow go. I’m starting to feel pretty comfortable with my offense, so I just let it happen.”
Thiam is also the spark off the bench for the Cowboys. That was evident in the second half against CSU when Wyoming was struggling and the Rams had cut the lead to two points.
“We came out a little flat in the second half because I guess we got a little overconfident,” Thiam said. “Once they got back in the game, all of the 3s that they had from the past, we knew better, that we had to pick it up. Coach told me, you have to lock up and provide some energy so we could finish up. That’s what I did, I just went out there and went as hard as I could.”
Another big Sixth-Man lift
Saturday’s announced attendance of 7,014 the highest attended game in the A-A in Schroyer’s tenure at Wyoming.
As was the case in the Cowboys’ win over San Diego State, the Wyoming faithful’s participation in the game didn’t go unnoticed by Schroyer.
The second-year UW coach said the Cowboys’ quick start had a lot to do with their playing at home.
“To all of the fans out there, I can’t thank you enough,” he said. “People have no idea what it means when our kids come back from warm-up and see the student section there, and they are excited to play.”
Schroyer said that as a basketball team and as a program, if they want to get where they want to go, they have to have that dominant home-court advantage.
“The only way we are going to do that is get 7-,8-, 9-, 10-thousand fans in there on a regular basis,” Schroyer added.
Official goes down
Veteran official Lonnie Dixon gave the crowd a little scare a little over four minutes into the second half when he collapsed near mid-court just in front of The Mtn. television crew.
Dixon laid on his back motionless for a couple minutes as The Mtn. announcer Andrea Lloyd motioned for some help. As it turned out, Dixon injured his left calf. He had to leave the game and left the A-A on crutches.
The other two game officials -- Verne Harris and Winston Stith -- finished the game by themselves.
“I wish him nothing but the best,” Schroyer said. “I was really scared the way he was laying there. ... Lonnie’s a pro. Of anybody that’s been around this league and this game, Lonnie Dixon’s a pro in every aspect, and I wish him a speedy recovery.”
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Cowboys make the plays down the stretch to hold off pesky Rams
Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming senior Tyson Johnson looks to make a move against Colorado State on Saturday.
Wyoming-CSU stats
By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org
If the Wyoming Cowboys would have put two halves together against TCU earlier in the week, they would have likely won their first Mountain West Conference road game of the season.
If the Cowboys would have played in the second half on Saturday like they did in the first half, they would have routed Colorado State.
The difference this time, though, was more than ifs for the Cowboys, as they had enough at the end to hold off the Rams, 83-74 in the Arena-Auditorium.
Wyoming had one of its better starts of the season -- easily its best start in league play -- shooting 63 percent from the fields and leading the Rams by 14.
Wyoming coach Heath Schroyer said that they didn’t change anything in preparing for the Rams.
“We did what we always do, try to prepare them the best that we can,” Schroyer said. “We go into a game with a game plan and we talk about one or two adjustments in case we need them, and we go in and play.”
The Cowboys were forced into some adjustments in the second half as CSU, despite playing without leading scorer Marcus Walker, chipped away and cut the Wyoming lead to two on a pair of occasions.
Wyoming, 2-3 and 13-6, made the plays down the stretch this time for the win.
“I thought our guys really battled back in the second half and found a way to win,” Schroyer said. “CSU did a great job in the second half. They went to a zone, some triangle and two, and slowed us down a little bit. But we made some plays and got out with a great win.”
Wyoming senior guard Sean Ogirri said the CSU zone definitely slowed them down a little, as the Rams had a couple of runs -- 15-7 to cut the Wyoming lead to 58-56 with 8:22 to play and 9-3 to make it a two-point game again at the 3:50 mark.
“When they were man-to-man, they couldn’t guard us,” Ogirri said. “But when they started switching to zone, we started taking bad shots and that led them on the break.”
When the Cowboys went through a little spell offensively, Schroyer said their defensive intensity also went down.
“That happens," he said. “But we made some adjustments and we attacked the zone the last five minutes or so really well.”
The Cowboys scored seven straight for some breathing room and then finished by hitting 6 of 9 free throws in the final 1:18.
“We were a little too comfortable with our lead and their zone did slow us down,” said Wyoming freshman Afam Muojeke, who led all scorers with 25 points. “We were able to get some stops in the end and run our motion on offense.”
Jesse Carr led the Rams, 2-4, 7-13, with a career-high 21 points, while Travis Franklin scored 17 and Andy Ogide 13.
“There is no moral victory here,” Colorado State coach Tim Miles said. “We got it down to a couple, but we just made some bad decisions and took a bad shot about three different times, and that is not good enough to win.”
Tyson Johnson scored 19 for Wyoming, while Brandon Ewing finished with 18 points and Ogirri added 11.
“It was great win for us,” Schroyer said. “Any win in this league is a good win.”
The Cowboys return to action on Tuesday when they host Air Force at 6 p.m.
Cowboys pay back Rams
Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming freshman Afam Muojeke drives between two Colorado State players on Saturday.
By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org
Many of the Wyoming newcomers had never played in a Border War game with Colorado State, although senior Sean Ogirri, freshmen Afam Muojeke and Adam Waddell and sophomore Djibril Thiam saw what it was like from the bench last season as redshirts.
When the Rams, winless in the MWC, still upset the Cowboys last year in the first round of the Mountain West Conference Tournament in March, it stuck in their craw.
On Saturday, they were determined not to let that happen again, even as the Rams came back from a big deficit to make it a game. The Cowboys, however, held on for an 83-74 win in the Arena-Auditorium for a little pay-back.
“I was just thinking about the Mountain West Conference Tournament last year, losing to them,” said Wyoming’s Afam Muojeke. “It was tough, especially for the seniors that I was playing with … I wanted to get the win.”
After Wyoming jumped out to a big first-half lead, those thoughts quickly returned as the Rams cut the Cowboy lead to two with 3:50 to play. But the Cowboys responded with seven unanswered points and then hit 6 of 9 free throws down the stretch to preserve the victory.
Thiam, who scored eight points and grabbed four rebounds in the game, said he was thinking about that last matchup with the Rams from the get-go.
“(UW head coach) Heath (Schroyer) said last season that they ended our season and I took this game personally, because one of their players is from my country, so there was a competitive aspect to it before the game,” Thiam said. “I wasn’t going to let this opportunity go -- we’re at home and you can’t underestimate any team. I just went out there and gave it my all.”
Schroyer said that anytime you have freshmen and sophomores stepping up and making plays down the stretch in a game rivalry setting like Wyoming-CSU, it is great for the program in general.
"Obviously for tonight, it was great for the win," Schroyer said. "To continue to look forward, Adam Waddell, Afam and Djibril, they are playing a lot of minutes, getting a lot of experience. Some of those plays that those guys made down the stretch was the difference.”
For now, last year's disappointing loss to the Rams, is less and less on their minds.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Cowboys, Rams battle for 210th time
Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming freshman Adam Waddell battles with a couple San Diego State players for position.
By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org
The Wyoming Cowboys have had a little vagabond in them in the first half of the Mountain West Conference season.
They’ve found their way home, as they host rival Colorado State on Saturday at 4 p.m., before entertaining Air Force on Tuesday. It will be the first time in over one month that Wyoming has been home for two straight games.
“It’s great to be home,” Wyoming coach Heath Schroyer said. “We have five of our first eight on the road in league; it is the toughest schedule in our conference in league play. Anytime you are home, you are excited to play in front of your home fans, on your own rims. Obviously, you always want to take care of home and that’s what we want to do.”
Despite both Wyoming and Colorado State being a little down the last couple of years, it is still the Border War. That should be enough incentive for the Cowboys on Saturday.
“I think anytime it is a rivalry, you can throw everything out the window,” Schroyer said. “I know they will come in here with a lot of confidence, a lot of energy. We have to match that. Hopefully, we’ll have a great crowd. Our crowd against San Diego State was phenomenal, hopefully we have a better crowd Saturday afternoon.”
Saturday and Tuesday will also give the Cowboys a chance to pick up some much needed momentum, as they look to make a little move in league play. Wyoming is 1-3 in the MWC (12-6 overall), but have shown marked improvement since its 27-point loss to Utah in the opener in Salt Lake City. Since then, the Cowboys beat San Diego State in Laramie, played well at times before losing to UNLV in Las Vegas before falling to first-place TCU by one point in overtime Wednesday in Fort Worth.
“When you are a coach, you want to win every game. But when you look at our first road game at Utah and when you look at our third one, we have obviously gotten a lot better,” Schroyer said. “We’ve played a lot of games on the road -- 7 of our last 8 -- so I was encouraged. “We’ve gotten better, I like this team, and a lot of guys are growing up fast. That is nice to see.”
Schroyer also likes the Rams, who are 2-3 and 7-12 overall. CSU lost all of its league games under Tim Miles last season before knocking off the Cowboys in the league tournament.
At times CSU has maintained a little bit of that momentum this season.
“They are a good team. Anytime you can beat Vegas, and they beat Air Force, which is not easy to do in itself, especially without their leading scorer, they are much improved,” Schroyer said. “Tim went out and signed a group of junior college kids and those kids are growing up and starting to perform really well. We’re obviously going to have to play very well.”
The Rams might be without top scorer Marcus Walker again, as Walker (15.2 ppg) and Harvey Perry are suspended indefinitely for academic reasons. Schroyer said that while they are preparing with the idea that Walker and Perry will be in the lineup, they have be ready for anything against the Rams.
Schroyer added that the Rams are better in transition that people give them credit for because they can push the ball with two or three different players.
“That concerns me. They have done a nice job of isolating the post off of different cutters, different sets,” he said. “They have guys who are knocking down shots. They are knocking down 3s, they are very tough to beat. Just ask Vegas. They are good defensively and they play with a lot of energy.”
If Walker can’t go, 6-foot-9, 245-pound sophomore forward Andy Ogide will be the top scorer in the lineup at 10.7 points and 7.1 rebounds a game. Another player to watch, Schroyer said, is freshman point guard Jesse Carr, who is scoring 8.1 points a game.
“I think he (Carr) is going to be a really good player,” Schroyer said. “He is smart, he is heady, he knocks down open shots and doesn’t make mistakes with the ball. He is going to be a very, very good point guard in this league. It’s funny, if you play freshmen early, when they get into the later part of the year, they stop being freshman anymore. That kid is starting to come into his own. I think he is a very good player right now, he is going to be an outstanding player when it is all said and done.”
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Wyoming Cowboys (12-6 Overall, 1-3 in MWC))
2008-09 Avgs.
Probable Starters Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown PPG RPG APG/BPG
F #11 Afam Muojeke 6-7 210 R-Fr. Jamaica, Queens, N.Y. 14.9 4.0 1.6
F #21 Tyson Johnson 6-7 245 Sr. Long Island, N.Y. 15.3 8.3 2.2
C #15 Adam Waddell 6-10 235 R-Fr. Cody, Wyo. 6.0 4.1 0.9*
G # 0 Sean Ogirri 6-3 200 R-Sr. Denver, Colo. 15.2 2.5 2.7
G #23 Brandon Ewing 6-2 190 Sr. Chicago, Ill. 18.5 3.3 5.2
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 #13 Mikhail Linskens 7-0 260 So. Bredene, Belgium 3.3 4.2 0.8*
F #25 Djibril Thiam 6-10 205 So. Dakar, Senegal 5.1 7.1 1.0*
F #32 Mahamoud Diakite 6-7 225 Jr. Paris, France 1.7 2.2 0.5*
C #33 Boubacar Sylla^ 7-2 275 So. Paris, France Redshirting
G #51 A.J. Davis 6-6 195 Fr. Columbus, Ohio 3.3 4.2 0.9
*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: 59-71 (.454), Fifth year
Record at Wyoming: 24-24 (.500), Second year
Assistant Coaches: Fred Langley (Fresno State ‘87), Shaun Vandiver (Colorado ‘02) and Anthony Stewart (Mount Union ‘93)
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Colorado State Rams (7-12, 2-3 in MWC)
Probable Starters Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown PPG RPG APG
F #13 Andre McFarland 6-6 225 So. Las Vegas, Nev. 8.9 4.6 1.1
F #32 Andy Ogide 6-9 245 So. Marietta, Ga. 10.7 7.1 0.6*
G #11 Jesse Carr 6-2 180 Fr. Ainsworth, Neb. 8.1 2.1 2.3
G #12 Adam Nigon 6-3 175 Jr. Broomfield, Colo. 2.9 1.9 0.9
G #43 Willis Gardner 6-1 182 Sr. Norristown, Penn 9.3 2.2 1.9
Reserves
F # 1 Travis Franklin 6-7 215 So. Baton Rouge, La. 6.3 3.6 0.8
F # 3 Flynn Clayman 6-9 205 So. Los Angeles, Calif. 0.0 0.3 0.0
G # 4 Marcus Walker 6-0 175 Sr. Kansas City, Mo. 15.2 2.5 1.8
G #15 Mike Annese 6-1 155 Jr. Littleton, Colo. 1.0 0.0 0.2
G #20 Harvey Perry 6-5 205 Jr. Las Vegas, Nev. 3.8 3.6 1.5
F #33 Michael Lebsack 6-4 190 Jr. Yuma, Colo. 0.0 0.5 0.5
G #40 Arin Dunn 6-1 185 Jr. Broomfield, Colo. 6.5 1.0 0.0
F #44 Mame Bocar Ba 6-9 245 Jr. Dakar, Senegal 2.1 2.4 0.2
C #54 Dan Vandervieren 6-10 260 So. Eden Prairie, Minn. 6.5 4.1 0.7*
*Indicates blocked shot average
Head Coach: Tim Miles (University of Mary ’89)
Overall Record: 232-181 (.562), 14th Season
Record at CSU: 20-50 (.286), Second Season
Assistant Coaches: Niko Medved (Minnesota '96), Mark Amaral (Coll. of Idaho '90) and DeMarlo Slocum (Ga. Southern '01)
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Late 3-pointer sinks Cowboys
Wyoming-TCU stats
By Wyoming Sports.org
FORT WORTH, Texas -- The Wyoming Cowboys were one defensive play away from pulling off a big Mountain West Conference road victory on Wednesday night.
But sometimes, one play is all that counts.
TCU’s Edvinas Ruzgas hit a 3-pointer with 19 seconds left in overtime to lift the Horned Frogs to a 79-78 win over the Cowboys.
Actually, the way Wyoming coach Heath Schroyer saw it, they did enough to win but lost the last three possessions.
“I don’t know if our brain was turned off or what?” Schroyer said on his post-game show on the Cowboy Sports Network.
The Horned Frogs led for much of the game until Wyoming senior Brandon Ewing’s free throw tied it up at 66-66 with 2:41 to play in regulation. The Cowboys sent the game into overtime on senior Tyson Johnson’s 3-pointer with 13 seconds left.
Wyoming then led by one with just a few ticks on the clock before Ruzgas, who had just six points in the game, hit the wide open trey.
The Cowboys last-second effort was nixed when senior Sean Ogirri’s layup was blocked at the buzzer by TCU forward Kevin Langford.
The Cowboys could have used a couple more stops on Langford, who scored a career-high 36 points for the Frogs, 4-1 in the MWC and 13-6 overall.
Ronnie Moss, who missed a last-second 3 at the end of regulation, added 11 points for TCU, with Zvonko Buljan adding 10. TCU has now won its six straight conference game at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.
Johnson and Ogirri each scored 18 for Wyoming. Ewing added 16 and Afam Muojeke contributed 12 for Wyoming (12-6, MWC 1-3). Adam Waddell hit 10.
“Our kids played really hard. I told our guys that if they looked at our first (MWC) game on the road at Utah, we were not very good,” Schroyer said. “We went to Vegas and got better on the road. We came to TCU and had a chance to win the game. So, we are getting better.”
The Cowboys return home on Saturday as they host rival Colorado State at 4 p.m.
By Wyoming Sports.org
FORT WORTH, Texas -- The Wyoming Cowboys were one defensive play away from pulling off a big Mountain West Conference road victory on Wednesday night.
But sometimes, one play is all that counts.
TCU’s Edvinas Ruzgas hit a 3-pointer with 19 seconds left in overtime to lift the Horned Frogs to a 79-78 win over the Cowboys.
Actually, the way Wyoming coach Heath Schroyer saw it, they did enough to win but lost the last three possessions.
“I don’t know if our brain was turned off or what?” Schroyer said on his post-game show on the Cowboy Sports Network.
The Horned Frogs led for much of the game until Wyoming senior Brandon Ewing’s free throw tied it up at 66-66 with 2:41 to play in regulation. The Cowboys sent the game into overtime on senior Tyson Johnson’s 3-pointer with 13 seconds left.
Wyoming then led by one with just a few ticks on the clock before Ruzgas, who had just six points in the game, hit the wide open trey.
The Cowboys last-second effort was nixed when senior Sean Ogirri’s layup was blocked at the buzzer by TCU forward Kevin Langford.
The Cowboys could have used a couple more stops on Langford, who scored a career-high 36 points for the Frogs, 4-1 in the MWC and 13-6 overall.
Ronnie Moss, who missed a last-second 3 at the end of regulation, added 11 points for TCU, with Zvonko Buljan adding 10. TCU has now won its six straight conference game at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.
Johnson and Ogirri each scored 18 for Wyoming. Ewing added 16 and Afam Muojeke contributed 12 for Wyoming (12-6, MWC 1-3). Adam Waddell hit 10.
“Our kids played really hard. I told our guys that if they looked at our first (MWC) game on the road at Utah, we were not very good,” Schroyer said. “We went to Vegas and got better on the road. We came to TCU and had a chance to win the game. So, we are getting better.”
The Cowboys return home on Saturday as they host rival Colorado State at 4 p.m.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Cowboys face another tough test at TCU
By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org
First, the Cowboys open Mountain West Conference play with Utah, San Diego State and UNLV. There are no breaks in the conference this season and that includes surprising TCU Wednesday in Fort Worth (6 p.m.).
Especially with the Horned Frogs' success being no surprise to Wyoming coach Heath Schroyer.
“They are a good basketball team,“ Schroyer said. “They return good players and they added good players.”
Under first-year head coach Jim Christian, the Horned Frogs are 3-1 in league play (12-6 overall) and tied for first place with Utah.
Senior Kevin Langford is one of the few familiar faces from last year’s team that was 6-10 in league play and 14-16 overall. He continues to lead the way, averaging 12.8 points and 5.1 rebounds a game. The other three returning regulars are guards Jason Ebie and Keion Mitchell and forward John Ortiz.
Everything for TCU starts with Langford, although the Horned Frogs now relying heavily on junior college transfers Edvinas Ruzgas and Zvonko Buljan.
“I don’t think we have anybody who can guard Langford. He’s a fifth-year senior and he has been around the block,” Schroyer said.
The two foreign Frogs bring skill and toughness to the TCU program, Schroyer said.
“They can really shoot the ball, they really stretch you," Schroyer said. “The other thing they bring is toughness. Both of those kids are really tough. They will mix it up. They are tough, skill kids. That combination is hard to find and I think Jim did a great job finding them.”
Buljan is scoring 12.6 points a game, with Ruzgas averaging 11.6 per outing.
“Buljan is a 6-foot-9 kid who can go both inside and outside and he is a better passer than people give him credit for,” Schroyer said. “Ruzgas is 6-6 and is a physical, tough kid who really shoots well. Both of them are tough matchups.”
Christian said he doesn’t place expectations on his players, but he knows he found two good ones in Ruzgas and Buljan.
“I knew they were two experienced players,” Christian said. “You really never know what they are going to do, it’s a big jump to Division I. But they are guys who have shown signs of being good players and really helping the team.”
For the Cowboys (1-2 and 12-5), Schroyer is still searching for consistency. That was apparent last week, as Wyoming beat a good San Diego State team at home on Wednesday, but fell by 17 to talented UNLV in Las Vegas on Saturday.
Against the Rebels, Wyoming hung tough but then fell apart in the final 10 minutes, as the Rebels took advantage of strong offensive rebounding and Cowboy mistakes. UNLV scored 48 of its 83 points off of second-chance opportunities and turnovers.
“We have just a young, inexperienced group at so many areas that four, five, six possessions on the road can beat you,” Schroyer said. “We were down six and we had two breakdowns in a row and the game is over. It’s just going through a lot of those experiences and continuing to get better. It doesn’t get any easier, we have five of our first eight on the road. We just have to keep fighting, keep trying to get better and continue to grow.”
Christensen said the Horned Frogs have to be wary of Wyoming’s offensive prowess, led by senior guards Brandon Ewing (18.6 ppg) and Sean Ogirri (15.1 ppg), senior forward Tyson Johnson (15.2 ppg)) and freshman forward Afam Muojeke (15.1 ppg).
“They are such a potent offensive team,” Christian said. “They can score inside and they have perimeter guys. They are playing with a lot of confidence. They are a great offensive basketball team, so you have to try to get them off of their rhythm the best that you can. It’s easier said than done. As I am watching more film on them, they are so impressive.”
The Cowboys return home on Saturday to host rival Colorado State (4 p.m.).
---
Wyoming Cowboys
(12-5 Overall, 1-2 in the Mountain West Conference)
Probable Starters Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown PPG RPG APG/BPG
F #11 Afam Muojeke 6-7 210 R-Fr. Jamaica, N.Y. 15.1 3.9 1.6
F #21 Tyson Johnson 6-7 245 Sr. Long Island, N.Y. 15.2 8.4 2.2
C #15 Adam Waddell 6-10 235 R-Fr. Cody, Wyo. 5.8 4.1 0.9*
G # 0 Sean Ogirri 6-3 200 R-Sr. Denver, Colo. 15.1 2.3 2.6
G #23 Brandon Ewing 6-2 190 Sr. Chicago, Ill. 18.6 3.2 5.4
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 #13 Mikhail Linskens 7-0 260 So. Bredene, Belgium 3.5 4.4 0.8*
F #25 Djibril Thiam 6-10 205 So. Dakar, Senegal 5.2 6.9 1.1*
F #32 Mahamoud Diakite 6-7 225 Jr. Paris, France 1.7 2.2 0.5*
C #33 Boubacar Sylla^ 7-2 275 So. Paris, France Redshirting
G #51 A.J. Davis 6-6 195 Fr. Columbus, Ohio 3.2 2.5 0.9
*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: 59-70 (.457), Fifth year
Record at Wyoming: 24-23 (.511), Second year
Assistant Coaches: Fred Langley (Fresno State ‘87), Shaun Vandiver (Colorado ‘02)
and Anthony Stewart (Mount Union ‘93)
---
TCU Horned Frogs
(12-6 overall, 3-1 in Mountain West Conference)
Probable Starters Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown PPG RPG APG
F #13 Edvinas Ruzgas 6-6 200 Jr. Vilnius, Lithuania 11.6 3.4 0.8
F #32 Kevin Langford 6-8 245 Sr. Fort Worth, Texas 12.8 5.1 0.9
C # 1 Zvonko Buljan 6-9 220 Jr. Split, Croatia 12.6 7.5 1.6
G # 3 Jason Ebie 6-1 175 Jr. Houston, Texas 5.9 2.6 4.1
G #22 Keion Mitchem 5-10 170 Jr. Rochester, N.Y. 6.2 1.3 1.4
Reserves
F # 4 A.J. Siebert 6-5 190 Jr. Southlake, Texas 1.0 0.0 0.0
G # 5 Ronnie Moss 6-2 195 Fr. Fort Worth, Texas 9.3 2.3 2.6
F #12 Logan Lancon 6-6 200 Fr. Houston, Texas 0.7 1.0 0.2
G #23 Kavon Rose 6-2 175 Fr. Detroit, Mich. 2.5 2.0 1.5
G #24 Kevin Butler 6-5 200 Fr. Duncanville, Texas 3.9 3.7 0.6
F #34 Greg Richardson 6-8 210 Jr. Jacksonville, Fla. Hasn’t yet played
F #42 John Ortiz 6-8 225 Sr. Cali, Colombia 2.2 2.0 0.4
Head Coach: Jim Christian (Rhode Island ’88)
Overall Record: 150-64 (.701), Seventh Season
Record at TCU: 12-6 (.667), First Season
Assistant Coaches: Jean Prioleau (Fordham ‘92), Anthony Anderson (McNeese State ‘95)
and Bill Wuczynski (UNLV ‘96)
Wyoming Sports.org
First, the Cowboys open Mountain West Conference play with Utah, San Diego State and UNLV. There are no breaks in the conference this season and that includes surprising TCU Wednesday in Fort Worth (6 p.m.).
Especially with the Horned Frogs' success being no surprise to Wyoming coach Heath Schroyer.
“They are a good basketball team,“ Schroyer said. “They return good players and they added good players.”
Under first-year head coach Jim Christian, the Horned Frogs are 3-1 in league play (12-6 overall) and tied for first place with Utah.
Senior Kevin Langford is one of the few familiar faces from last year’s team that was 6-10 in league play and 14-16 overall. He continues to lead the way, averaging 12.8 points and 5.1 rebounds a game. The other three returning regulars are guards Jason Ebie and Keion Mitchell and forward John Ortiz.
Everything for TCU starts with Langford, although the Horned Frogs now relying heavily on junior college transfers Edvinas Ruzgas and Zvonko Buljan.
“I don’t think we have anybody who can guard Langford. He’s a fifth-year senior and he has been around the block,” Schroyer said.
The two foreign Frogs bring skill and toughness to the TCU program, Schroyer said.
“They can really shoot the ball, they really stretch you," Schroyer said. “The other thing they bring is toughness. Both of those kids are really tough. They will mix it up. They are tough, skill kids. That combination is hard to find and I think Jim did a great job finding them.”
Buljan is scoring 12.6 points a game, with Ruzgas averaging 11.6 per outing.
“Buljan is a 6-foot-9 kid who can go both inside and outside and he is a better passer than people give him credit for,” Schroyer said. “Ruzgas is 6-6 and is a physical, tough kid who really shoots well. Both of them are tough matchups.”
Christian said he doesn’t place expectations on his players, but he knows he found two good ones in Ruzgas and Buljan.
“I knew they were two experienced players,” Christian said. “You really never know what they are going to do, it’s a big jump to Division I. But they are guys who have shown signs of being good players and really helping the team.”
For the Cowboys (1-2 and 12-5), Schroyer is still searching for consistency. That was apparent last week, as Wyoming beat a good San Diego State team at home on Wednesday, but fell by 17 to talented UNLV in Las Vegas on Saturday.
Against the Rebels, Wyoming hung tough but then fell apart in the final 10 minutes, as the Rebels took advantage of strong offensive rebounding and Cowboy mistakes. UNLV scored 48 of its 83 points off of second-chance opportunities and turnovers.
“We have just a young, inexperienced group at so many areas that four, five, six possessions on the road can beat you,” Schroyer said. “We were down six and we had two breakdowns in a row and the game is over. It’s just going through a lot of those experiences and continuing to get better. It doesn’t get any easier, we have five of our first eight on the road. We just have to keep fighting, keep trying to get better and continue to grow.”
Christensen said the Horned Frogs have to be wary of Wyoming’s offensive prowess, led by senior guards Brandon Ewing (18.6 ppg) and Sean Ogirri (15.1 ppg), senior forward Tyson Johnson (15.2 ppg)) and freshman forward Afam Muojeke (15.1 ppg).
“They are such a potent offensive team,” Christian said. “They can score inside and they have perimeter guys. They are playing with a lot of confidence. They are a great offensive basketball team, so you have to try to get them off of their rhythm the best that you can. It’s easier said than done. As I am watching more film on them, they are so impressive.”
The Cowboys return home on Saturday to host rival Colorado State (4 p.m.).
---
Wyoming Cowboys
(12-5 Overall, 1-2 in the Mountain West Conference)
Probable Starters Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown PPG RPG APG/BPG
F #11 Afam Muojeke 6-7 210 R-Fr. Jamaica, N.Y. 15.1 3.9 1.6
F #21 Tyson Johnson 6-7 245 Sr. Long Island, N.Y. 15.2 8.4 2.2
C #15 Adam Waddell 6-10 235 R-Fr. Cody, Wyo. 5.8 4.1 0.9*
G # 0 Sean Ogirri 6-3 200 R-Sr. Denver, Colo. 15.1 2.3 2.6
G #23 Brandon Ewing 6-2 190 Sr. Chicago, Ill. 18.6 3.2 5.4
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 #13 Mikhail Linskens 7-0 260 So. Bredene, Belgium 3.5 4.4 0.8*
F #25 Djibril Thiam 6-10 205 So. Dakar, Senegal 5.2 6.9 1.1*
F #32 Mahamoud Diakite 6-7 225 Jr. Paris, France 1.7 2.2 0.5*
C #33 Boubacar Sylla^ 7-2 275 So. Paris, France Redshirting
G #51 A.J. Davis 6-6 195 Fr. Columbus, Ohio 3.2 2.5 0.9
*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: 59-70 (.457), Fifth year
Record at Wyoming: 24-23 (.511), Second year
Assistant Coaches: Fred Langley (Fresno State ‘87), Shaun Vandiver (Colorado ‘02)
and Anthony Stewart (Mount Union ‘93)
---
TCU Horned Frogs
(12-6 overall, 3-1 in Mountain West Conference)
Probable Starters Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown PPG RPG APG
F #13 Edvinas Ruzgas 6-6 200 Jr. Vilnius, Lithuania 11.6 3.4 0.8
F #32 Kevin Langford 6-8 245 Sr. Fort Worth, Texas 12.8 5.1 0.9
C # 1 Zvonko Buljan 6-9 220 Jr. Split, Croatia 12.6 7.5 1.6
G # 3 Jason Ebie 6-1 175 Jr. Houston, Texas 5.9 2.6 4.1
G #22 Keion Mitchem 5-10 170 Jr. Rochester, N.Y. 6.2 1.3 1.4
Reserves
F # 4 A.J. Siebert 6-5 190 Jr. Southlake, Texas 1.0 0.0 0.0
G # 5 Ronnie Moss 6-2 195 Fr. Fort Worth, Texas 9.3 2.3 2.6
F #12 Logan Lancon 6-6 200 Fr. Houston, Texas 0.7 1.0 0.2
G #23 Kavon Rose 6-2 175 Fr. Detroit, Mich. 2.5 2.0 1.5
G #24 Kevin Butler 6-5 200 Fr. Duncanville, Texas 3.9 3.7 0.6
F #34 Greg Richardson 6-8 210 Jr. Jacksonville, Fla. Hasn’t yet played
F #42 John Ortiz 6-8 225 Sr. Cali, Colombia 2.2 2.0 0.4
Head Coach: Jim Christian (Rhode Island ’88)
Overall Record: 150-64 (.701), Seventh Season
Record at TCU: 12-6 (.667), First Season
Assistant Coaches: Jean Prioleau (Fordham ‘92), Anthony Anderson (McNeese State ‘95)
and Bill Wuczynski (UNLV ‘96)
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Rebels pull past Cowboys
Wyoming-UNLV stats
By Wyoming Sports.org
LAS VEGAS -- Two Achilles Heels gave the Wyoming Cowboys the boot Saturday against UNLV.
The Rebels dominated the offensive boards and took advantage of Wyoming turnovers to run past the Cowboys 83-66 in Mountain West Conference play at the Thomas & Mack Center.
UNLV grabbed 22 offensive rebounds against the bigger Cowboys, turning those boards into 24 second-chance points. The Rebels also forced 18 turnovers and scored 24 points off of those miscues.
“If you turn it over against them, you can’t win," Wyoming coach Heath Schroyer said on his postgame radio show on the Cowboys Sports Network.
At times, the Cowboys played fairy well, leading by as much as six in the first half and trailing by just five with 10 minutes left in the game.
But the offensive boards and mistakes did Wyoming in at the end, as UNLV went on a 22-9 run to pull away.
“They had more energy playing on their toes in the last 10 minutes,” Schroyer said. “Mentally, they wore us down and I am disappointed in that.“
Wink Adams scored 20 points and Rene' Rougeau added 14 points and eight rebounds to help UNLV (14-4, 2-2) snap a two-game Mountain West Conference losing streak. UNLV's Tre’Von Willis added 13 points and Darris Santee had 10.
The Rebels, led by six offensive rebounds from Rougeau, held a 44-33 edge in rebounds.
The Cowboys had the hot early hand from senior guard Sean Ogirri and led 26-20 with seven minutes left in the first half before Adams scored nine consecutive points over the next two minutes to give the Rebels the lead for good.
Ogirri hit 7 of 15 3-pointers in the game to lead the Cowboys, who fell to 1-2 in league play and 12-5 overall. Wyoming has now lost six straight games at the Thomas & Mack and 11 of the last 12 against the Rebels overall.
Tyson Johnson and Afam Muojeke both scored 14 points for the Cowboys. The MWC’s leading scorer, senior Brandon Ewing, had just seven points in the game. Ewing averaged over 19 points a game going into the contest.
“They did a nice job of getting the ball out of Brandon’s hands,” Schroyer said.
The Cowboys will continue on the road, facing an improved TCU team Wednesday in Fort Worth, Texas. The Horned Frogs are 4-1 in league playing, knocking off Air Force 57-54 Saturday night.
“We will try to get one on Wednesday,” Schroyer said. “It’s going to be tough, TCU is playing well at home. We just have to continue to get better, continue to grow.”
By Wyoming Sports.org
LAS VEGAS -- Two Achilles Heels gave the Wyoming Cowboys the boot Saturday against UNLV.
The Rebels dominated the offensive boards and took advantage of Wyoming turnovers to run past the Cowboys 83-66 in Mountain West Conference play at the Thomas & Mack Center.
UNLV grabbed 22 offensive rebounds against the bigger Cowboys, turning those boards into 24 second-chance points. The Rebels also forced 18 turnovers and scored 24 points off of those miscues.
“If you turn it over against them, you can’t win," Wyoming coach Heath Schroyer said on his postgame radio show on the Cowboys Sports Network.
At times, the Cowboys played fairy well, leading by as much as six in the first half and trailing by just five with 10 minutes left in the game.
But the offensive boards and mistakes did Wyoming in at the end, as UNLV went on a 22-9 run to pull away.
“They had more energy playing on their toes in the last 10 minutes,” Schroyer said. “Mentally, they wore us down and I am disappointed in that.“
Wink Adams scored 20 points and Rene' Rougeau added 14 points and eight rebounds to help UNLV (14-4, 2-2) snap a two-game Mountain West Conference losing streak. UNLV's Tre’Von Willis added 13 points and Darris Santee had 10.
The Rebels, led by six offensive rebounds from Rougeau, held a 44-33 edge in rebounds.
The Cowboys had the hot early hand from senior guard Sean Ogirri and led 26-20 with seven minutes left in the first half before Adams scored nine consecutive points over the next two minutes to give the Rebels the lead for good.
Ogirri hit 7 of 15 3-pointers in the game to lead the Cowboys, who fell to 1-2 in league play and 12-5 overall. Wyoming has now lost six straight games at the Thomas & Mack and 11 of the last 12 against the Rebels overall.
Tyson Johnson and Afam Muojeke both scored 14 points for the Cowboys. The MWC’s leading scorer, senior Brandon Ewing, had just seven points in the game. Ewing averaged over 19 points a game going into the contest.
“They did a nice job of getting the ball out of Brandon’s hands,” Schroyer said.
The Cowboys will continue on the road, facing an improved TCU team Wednesday in Fort Worth, Texas. The Horned Frogs are 4-1 in league playing, knocking off Air Force 57-54 Saturday night.
“We will try to get one on Wednesday,” Schroyer said. “It’s going to be tough, TCU is playing well at home. We just have to continue to get better, continue to grow.”
Friday, January 16, 2009
Cowboys to face Rebels in Vegas
by Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org
To achieve a bit of consistency in the Mountain West Conference, teams have to find a way to win on the road.
Fresh off of a big home win (83-79) over San Diego State on Wednesday night, the Wyoming Cowboys will try their hand in Las Vegas with a chance to beat a good, but struggling UNLV team on Saturday.
The game, which will be televised by The Mtn., will begin at 8 p.m. (Mountain Time) in UNLV’s Thomas and Mack Center.
“I think that any time that you are rebuilding a program, you really have to try to establish a home court; that is the first step. Getting a win against a really good team is the step in the first direction,” Wyoming coach Heath Schroyer said. “We have four of our first five games in this league on the road. That’s tough. We’re going to have to fill up the gas take, so to speak and be ready to play a very good team that is obviously going to be hungry.”
Schroyer has maintained this season that while they prepare for their opponent, they are more concerned about their own progress. That isn't changing despite the beginning of conference play.
“With such a young and inexperienced team, we need to spend as much time watching film on ourselves than we do on an opponent,” Schroyer said. “I think the last week we really got into that and we’re obviously going to continue that.”
The Cowboys, 12-4 overall and 10-1 in the MWC, are led by senior Brandon Ewing , who has scored 20 or more points in five straight games as well as eight of UW’s last nine games. He is currently leading the MWC in scoring (19.4 points per game) and assists (5.38 assists a contest).
Through 16 games, the Wyoming roster features four of the MWC’s top-10 scorers. In addition to Ewing, senior Tyson Johnson ranks sixth (15.3 ppg), redshirt freshman Afam Muojeke ranks seventh (15.2 ppg) and redshirt senior Sean Ogirri ranks ninth (14.7 ppg).
Johnson, who recorded his fourth double-double of the season against San Diego State, is ranked second in the MWC in rebounding with 8.4 per game. Ogirri is currently leading the league and ranks 15th in the nation in made three-point field goals per game with 3.25.
The Cowboys are looking for their first win over UNLV in Las Vegas since the 2002-03 season. UNLV leads the all-time series 23-13 and has won the past three meetings between the two schools.
UNLV, who is 13-4 overall and 1-2 in the MWC, has lost their last two games. After opening MWC play with a home win over New Mexico, the Runnin’ Rebels have dropped back-to-back road games at TCU and Colorado State.
UNLV is led by senior Wink Adams, who is averaging 12.9 points and 3.25 assists per game. Senior Rene Rougeau is scoring 11.1 points a game while pulling down 7.5 rebounds a game and blocking 2.2 shots a game. Sophomore Tre’Von Willis is adding 10.9 points a game.
“They are very good and they are very, very good at home,” Schroyer said. “The big stat is that we can’t turn the ball over. In their wins, they score 28 points a game off of turnovers. We just can’t do that, especially in that building.”
---
Wyoming Cowboys (12-4 overall, 1-1 in MWC)
Probable Starters Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown PPG RPG APG/BPG
F #11 Afam Muojeke 6-7 210 R-Fr. Jamaica, N.Y. 15.2 3.9 1.6
F #21 Tyson Johnson 6-7 245 Sr. Long Island, N.Y. 15.3 8.4 2.3
C #15 Adam Waddell 6-10 235 R-Fr. Cody, Wyo. 6.0 4.2 1.0*
G # 0 Sean Ogirri 6-3 200 R-Sr. Denver, Colo. 14.7 2.0 2.8
G #23 Brandon Ewing 6-2 190 Sr. Chicago, Ill. 19.4 3.3 5.4
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 #13 Mikhail Linskens 7-0 260 So. Bredene, Belgium 3.8 4.5 0.9*
F #25 Djibril Thiam 6-10 205 So. Dakar, Senegal 5.6 7.6 1.2*
F #32 Mahamoud Diakite 6-7 225 Jr. Paris, France 1.5 2.1 0.6*
C #33 Boubacar Sylla^ 7-2 275 So. Paris, France Redshirting
G #51 A.J. Davis 6-6 195 Fr. Columbus, Ohio 3.3 2.6 0.9
*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: 59-69 (.461), Fifth year
Record at Wyoming: 24-22 (.522), Second year
Assistant Coaches: Fred Langley (Fresno State ‘87), Shaun Vandiver (Colorado ‘02)
and Anthony Stewart (Mount Union ‘93)
---
UNLV Runnin’ Rebels (13-4 overall, 1-2 MWC)
Probable Starters Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown PPG RPG APG
F #44 Darris Santee 6-8 225 Jr. Houston, Texas 7.1 3.5 0.7*
F #45 Joe Darger 6-7 225 Sr. Riverton, Utah 9.5 4.2 1.1
G # 1 Wink Adams 6-0 200 Sr. Houston, Texas 12.9 4.2 3.3
G #24 René Rougeau 6-6 210 Sr. Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. 11.1 7.5 2.2*
G #33 Tre’Von Willis 6-4 195 So. Fresno, Calif. 10.9 3.5 2.7
Reserves
G # 0 Oscar Bellfield 6-2 175 Fr. Los Angeles, Calif. 6.8 2.5 3.5
G # 2 Kendall Wallace 6-4 190 So. Mesa, Ariz. 4.6 1.6 1.0
G # 3 Mareceo Rutledge 6-3 225 Sr. Sacramento, Calif. 3.7 2.1 0.4
G #10 Scott Hoffman 6-3 180 Jr. Hays, Kan. 0.3 0.3 0.1
F/C #12 Brice Massamba 6-10 255 Fr. Sodertalje, Sweden 2.7 1.4 0.3
F #13 Rob Ketchum 6-5 205 Sr. Sacramento, Calif. 2.0 0.0 0.0
G #14 Todd Hanni 6-4 205 So. Danville, Ind. Hasn’t yet played
F #15 DeShawn Mitchell 6-5 205 Fr. Newark, N.J. 2.2 0.8 0.2*
*Indicates blocked shot average
Head Coach: Lon Kruger (Kansas State ’75)
Overall Record: 422-279 (.602), 18th Season
Record at UNLV: 104-46 (.693), 10th Season
Assistant Coaches: Greg Grensing, Steve Henson and Lew Hill
Wyoming Sports.org
To achieve a bit of consistency in the Mountain West Conference, teams have to find a way to win on the road.
Fresh off of a big home win (83-79) over San Diego State on Wednesday night, the Wyoming Cowboys will try their hand in Las Vegas with a chance to beat a good, but struggling UNLV team on Saturday.
The game, which will be televised by The Mtn., will begin at 8 p.m. (Mountain Time) in UNLV’s Thomas and Mack Center.
“I think that any time that you are rebuilding a program, you really have to try to establish a home court; that is the first step. Getting a win against a really good team is the step in the first direction,” Wyoming coach Heath Schroyer said. “We have four of our first five games in this league on the road. That’s tough. We’re going to have to fill up the gas take, so to speak and be ready to play a very good team that is obviously going to be hungry.”
Schroyer has maintained this season that while they prepare for their opponent, they are more concerned about their own progress. That isn't changing despite the beginning of conference play.
“With such a young and inexperienced team, we need to spend as much time watching film on ourselves than we do on an opponent,” Schroyer said. “I think the last week we really got into that and we’re obviously going to continue that.”
The Cowboys, 12-4 overall and 10-1 in the MWC, are led by senior Brandon Ewing , who has scored 20 or more points in five straight games as well as eight of UW’s last nine games. He is currently leading the MWC in scoring (19.4 points per game) and assists (5.38 assists a contest).
Through 16 games, the Wyoming roster features four of the MWC’s top-10 scorers. In addition to Ewing, senior Tyson Johnson ranks sixth (15.3 ppg), redshirt freshman Afam Muojeke ranks seventh (15.2 ppg) and redshirt senior Sean Ogirri ranks ninth (14.7 ppg).
Johnson, who recorded his fourth double-double of the season against San Diego State, is ranked second in the MWC in rebounding with 8.4 per game. Ogirri is currently leading the league and ranks 15th in the nation in made three-point field goals per game with 3.25.
The Cowboys are looking for their first win over UNLV in Las Vegas since the 2002-03 season. UNLV leads the all-time series 23-13 and has won the past three meetings between the two schools.
UNLV, who is 13-4 overall and 1-2 in the MWC, has lost their last two games. After opening MWC play with a home win over New Mexico, the Runnin’ Rebels have dropped back-to-back road games at TCU and Colorado State.
UNLV is led by senior Wink Adams, who is averaging 12.9 points and 3.25 assists per game. Senior Rene Rougeau is scoring 11.1 points a game while pulling down 7.5 rebounds a game and blocking 2.2 shots a game. Sophomore Tre’Von Willis is adding 10.9 points a game.
“They are very good and they are very, very good at home,” Schroyer said. “The big stat is that we can’t turn the ball over. In their wins, they score 28 points a game off of turnovers. We just can’t do that, especially in that building.”
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Wyoming Cowboys (12-4 overall, 1-1 in MWC)
Probable Starters Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown PPG RPG APG/BPG
F #11 Afam Muojeke 6-7 210 R-Fr. Jamaica, N.Y. 15.2 3.9 1.6
F #21 Tyson Johnson 6-7 245 Sr. Long Island, N.Y. 15.3 8.4 2.3
C #15 Adam Waddell 6-10 235 R-Fr. Cody, Wyo. 6.0 4.2 1.0*
G # 0 Sean Ogirri 6-3 200 R-Sr. Denver, Colo. 14.7 2.0 2.8
G #23 Brandon Ewing 6-2 190 Sr. Chicago, Ill. 19.4 3.3 5.4
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 #13 Mikhail Linskens 7-0 260 So. Bredene, Belgium 3.8 4.5 0.9*
F #25 Djibril Thiam 6-10 205 So. Dakar, Senegal 5.6 7.6 1.2*
F #32 Mahamoud Diakite 6-7 225 Jr. Paris, France 1.5 2.1 0.6*
C #33 Boubacar Sylla^ 7-2 275 So. Paris, France Redshirting
G #51 A.J. Davis 6-6 195 Fr. Columbus, Ohio 3.3 2.6 0.9
*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: 59-69 (.461), Fifth year
Record at Wyoming: 24-22 (.522), Second year
Assistant Coaches: Fred Langley (Fresno State ‘87), Shaun Vandiver (Colorado ‘02)
and Anthony Stewart (Mount Union ‘93)
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UNLV Runnin’ Rebels (13-4 overall, 1-2 MWC)
Probable Starters Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown PPG RPG APG
F #44 Darris Santee 6-8 225 Jr. Houston, Texas 7.1 3.5 0.7*
F #45 Joe Darger 6-7 225 Sr. Riverton, Utah 9.5 4.2 1.1
G # 1 Wink Adams 6-0 200 Sr. Houston, Texas 12.9 4.2 3.3
G #24 René Rougeau 6-6 210 Sr. Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. 11.1 7.5 2.2*
G #33 Tre’Von Willis 6-4 195 So. Fresno, Calif. 10.9 3.5 2.7
Reserves
G # 0 Oscar Bellfield 6-2 175 Fr. Los Angeles, Calif. 6.8 2.5 3.5
G # 2 Kendall Wallace 6-4 190 So. Mesa, Ariz. 4.6 1.6 1.0
G # 3 Mareceo Rutledge 6-3 225 Sr. Sacramento, Calif. 3.7 2.1 0.4
G #10 Scott Hoffman 6-3 180 Jr. Hays, Kan. 0.3 0.3 0.1
F/C #12 Brice Massamba 6-10 255 Fr. Sodertalje, Sweden 2.7 1.4 0.3
F #13 Rob Ketchum 6-5 205 Sr. Sacramento, Calif. 2.0 0.0 0.0
G #14 Todd Hanni 6-4 205 So. Danville, Ind. Hasn’t yet played
F #15 DeShawn Mitchell 6-5 205 Fr. Newark, N.J. 2.2 0.8 0.2*
*Indicates blocked shot average
Head Coach: Lon Kruger (Kansas State ’75)
Overall Record: 422-279 (.602), 18th Season
Record at UNLV: 104-46 (.693), 10th Season
Assistant Coaches: Greg Grensing, Steve Henson and Lew Hill
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