Cowboys Beat Western State Mountaineers

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Written by Lindsey Korsick

Tuesday, 23 December 2008 19:10

The “Welcome to 7200 feet” sign that hangs on the wall leading into the visitors shouldn’t have bothered the Western State Mountaineers as their home in Gunnison, Colo. sits above Laramie at 7,732 feet.

Maybe the altitude didn’t wear them down, but the when the Cowboys turned on their quick full court game the Mountaineers just didn’t keep up losing to the Pokes 100-73. Coach Heath Schroyer said he wasn’t particularly pleased with the play of his team against Western State, he said he will take a win when he gets one.

“Anytime you can play lethargic and win by 27 and score 100, we will take it,” Schroyer said.

In their first December home game, it was Wyoming who left Western State out in the cold with an 11-2 run to start off. Western didn’t take long to shake off the ice though as a pair of 3’s by Brandon Gentry and a couple long jumpers from Allen McFarland carried the Mountaineers on a 14-0 scoring streak.

The 16-14 lead with 11:20 remaining in the first half was the last time Western would lead in the game.

The Cowboys finished the half with a 44-35 lead after Tyson Johnson took a missed free throw by Brandon Ewing and laid it in as time expired.

After scoring just three points in the first half, Sean Ogirri warmed up starting the second half off with a pair of 3-pointers, an alley oop to Afam Muojeke and a couple free throws. Ogirri said a halftime challenge proved to heighten his play in the final 20 minutes.

“Coach was like, ‘Are you ever going to play?’,” Ogirri said. “He kind of got me mad. I just needed to be aggressive. I just felt like I could get buckets and bring the lead up.”

That wasn’t the last we would see from Ogirri.

Cameron Burney tried to keep the Mountaineers in the contest by hitting four second half long balls, but Wyoming answered back with contributions from eight different Cowboys proving to much for Western to keep up with. Wyoming pushed their lead to 20 points, 74-54, on two Ewing free throws and added to it as Muojeke tossed up a three and Johnson and Ewing mirrored each other with lay-up and made free throws combinations.

After a seven and a half minute break in scoring, Ogirri added the topping with a trio of 3-pointers to give the Cowboys their even 100-point game. Ogirri finished with 26 points (23 second half points) followed by Ewing with 21 and Muojeke with 18.

The Cowboys take the floor on Saturday in the first half of a Cowboy/Cowgirl double-header at 2 p.m. against Sacramento State.

Cowboys 8-1

It has been nearly two decades since the Cowboys started out a season with an 8-1 record. Their last early season 8-1 run was back in 1990-91. They have had a few 7-1 starts, but it has taken them 18 years to break through to 8-1.

“This team is chasing greatness,” Brandon Ewing said. “We aren’t just trying to be good. We know this is one of the best teams ever to come to Wyoming and one of the most talented teams in the country. Coach (Schroyer) knows that. At the end of the day we are still young. If he isn’t going to push us, who will?” With five games left in the non-conference season, Ewing said he thinks teams are going to start coming after the Cowboys.

“Now we have a target on our back, even though we are the sleepers in the Mountain West,” Ewing said. “Teams are going to try and knock off an 8-1 team.”

Ewing off the bench

For the first time in his Wyoming career, senior guard Brandon Ewing was seated on the bench for the tip-off. Coach Heath Schroyer said it was an academic issue that will have no more impact on Ewing’s future starts.

“It was an internal academic issue,” Schroyer said. “It was 100 percent internal.”

Ewing said his personal issues had no effect on the team and his offense won’t happen again.

“It was different,” Ewing said. “I have never come off the bench a day in my life. Once I’m on the court it is all business no matter what.

“It’s over with. I will start from here on out. That wasn’t going to effect how we can play and that wasn’t going to stop us from going 8-1.”

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