Cowboys make the plays to beat Lions

UW-LMU boxscore

by Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Shooting just 40 percent and being out-rebounded by 23, the Cowboys didn't do much in the stat sheet to win a game Saturday night.

Yet, they did just that, stopping Loyoyla Marymount 76-70 in the Arena-Auditorium.

"I think this team is just starting to get more experience as the year goes along," said Wyoming senior Ryan Dermody, who led the Cowboys with 15 points. "I don't think we would have won this game earlier in the season. We really executed well in the last three minutes and we were able to pull out a win.'

The Cowboys (4-4) led by as much as 13 late in the first half, but lost that lead and still trailed by three with 2:38 remaining. Wyoming, however, used a key block by Adam Waddell, a big steal by JayDee Luster and an important tip off of a missed free throw by Djibril Thiam that kept the ball in their hands.

In the end, UW outscored the Lions 10-1 down the stretch.

"I thought we found a way to win a tough game," Wyoming coach Heath Schroyer said. "It was a really good win for us."

Kevin Young and Vernon Teel scored 16 points each for Loyola Marymount, which out-rebounded the Cowboys 53-30, grabbing 27 offensive rebounds.

Wyoming, however, forced 22 turnovers and had 10 blocked shots and 12 steals, scoring 23 points off of the miscues.

"At the end of the game, we made some very bad plays," Loyola Marymount coach Max Good said. "To Wyoming's credit, they capitalized on them and ultimately won the game."

Dermody hit four 3-pointers to give the Cowboys a lift from the outside. Going into the contest, Wyoming had hit just 19 percent of its 3-point attempts.

"Derm really stepped up and got in a got in a good rhythm tonight," Schroyer said. "He's bounced back from a tough year last year when he got hurt early. Derm is going to be a valuable guy for us this season."

Desmar Jackson scored 13 points for Wyoming, with Adam Waddell adding 12 and Djibril Thiam 11. The Cowboys shot just 40 percent and had five less field goals than the Lions, but were 26 of 34 from the free-throw line to 13 of 20 for Loyola Marymount.

"We didn't rebound the ball very well, but we were a plus six in turnovers," Schroyer said. "We just found a way to win."

The Cowboys will return to action next Saturday in Casper against Northern Colorado in the annual Casper Shootout.