Riley Grabau scored 18 points and Larry Nance Jr. and Derek Cooke each grabbed 10 rebounds as the Wyoming Cowboys raced to a 63-55 win over Nevada on Saturday night in the Arena-Auditorium in Laramie.
Grabau’s performance was a redemption of sorts for the senior guard who struggled in a loss last Tuesday to Utah State. Tonight was a different story as Grabau made three shots from behind the arc and nailed all nine of his free throw attempts to lead the Pokes to the win.
His backcourt mate, Josh Adams, scored 13 points and added a pair of steals on the night for Wyoming, which now boasts an 18-4 overall mark.
Nance was his usual steady self and contributed 11 points to go with his double figure rebounds. Cooke added 14 points of his own to help hold down the interior on both ends.
Nevada got 17 points from Tyron Criswell and another 15 from A.J. West, but could get no others players to tally more than 6 against the Pokes’ defense, which is ranked 4th in the nation in points allowed.
Even so, the Wolf Pack was able to close a 10-point halftime deficit to three with just under 6 minutes remaining, but a late scoreless streak, and some Wyoming free throws, allowed the Cowboys to creep away and seal the win.
The win keeps the Pokes in a tie with San Diego State for first place in the Mountain West Conference. It is vital for the Cowboys to stay even with the Aztecs by virtue of SDSU’s win over Wyoming a few weeks ago.
Keeping pace is even more vital with a February 11th date in San Diego which could determine the number one seed in the upcoming conference tournament in March.