“Beat the Sheep,” was the Wyoming rallying cry before Wednesday night’s match-up against Colorado State.
Larry Nance Jr. scored 15 points and grabbed six rebounds in leading the Cowboys to a 60-54 win over fierce rival CSU to gain regional bragging rights - for the time being, anyway.
With Wyoming clinging to a 56-54 lead with under a minute remaining, the Cowboys’ Jason McManamen, a Wyoming native, stole the ball and nailed a long range jumper seconds later to help seal the Pokes’ 14th win of the season.
McManamen finished with 8 points on the night. Charles Hankerson and Josh Adams each added 13 points for the upstart Pokes who are now 3-0 in Mountain West Conference play.
The Rams were paced by J.J. Avila, who poured in a game high 23 points. No other CSU player could muster more than 8 points, however, as the Rams suffered through a 34% shooting performance.
Wyoming meanwhile, made 45% of its shots and never trailed in the game. After opening up a 12 point lead twice in the second half, CSU fought its way back into before McManamen’s heroics down the stretch.
The Cowboys continue to be one of college basketball’s early surprises. Wins over Colorado, UNLV, and now CSU highlight the Pokes’ success throughout the first half of their season. Only road losses to SMU and Cal mar the Cowboys' schedule.
Consecutive games against Boise State, San Diego State, Fresno State, New Mexico, and Utah State will be true tests of Wyoming and whether they can be considered true contenders on the national scene.
The Mountain West is an underrated conference with the likes of SDSU and New Mexico having NCAA Tournament success in recent years.
For now, the Pokes will celebrate a big win over a solid Colorado State team who at 14-2 have March Madness aspirations of their own. However, with the loss to the Cowboys, the Rams have dumped two straight games and find themselves near the bottom of MWC standings with a 1-2 mark.
CSU moves on to face Air Force, Nevada, and San Jose State, a schedule that might allow the Rams to get back on their feet after their hot start.