COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The Wyoming Cowboys shot a season-high 69% from behind the arc and erased a 9-point deficit en route to a 70–65 road win at Air Force on Saturday.
“If you don’t like stress, don’t watch us,” UW head coach Sundance Wicks said. “This is what Air Force does to teams, but understand it is a complex scout and you try to play the percentages. I gave a lot of game balls out tonight and we had some big-time plays by big-time players stepping up in big moments.”
Wyoming was led by four players in double figures. Jordan Nesbitt recorded his sixth double-double of the season, finishing with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Kobe Newton scored a team-best 16 points, going 4-of-5 from behind the arc. Dontaie Allen added 14 points going 4-of-4 on 3-point attempts in the process. Matija Belic added 13 points while going 6-of-8 from the field.
Cole Henry added 8 points for the Pokes, and A.J. Wills finished with a game-best five assists.
The Pokes shot 57.1% from the field, the seventh time the team has shot at least 50% this season. UW was extremely efficient from behind the arc, going 9-of-13.
The Pokes opened the game by taking a fast 5–0 lead on an emphatic slam dunk by Henry and a 3-pointer from Newton. However, Air Force went on an 11–0 run using the three ball for an 11–5 lead. The Falcons would push that lead to 14–7 minutes later.
Air Force hit five threes in the first eight minutes to take a 21–12 lead. However, Wyoming managed to respond, and a pair of 3-pointers by Allen made it a 23–18 game roughly halfway through the first half.
A thunderous putback slam from Nesbitt and a triple from Wills made it a 2-point deficit at 27–25 with under nine minutes left in the opening stanza.
Henry tied the game at 27–27 and Belic added an and-one play followed by a triple from Newton, allowing Wyoming to surge ahead with a 33–27 lead as the first half wound down. It was part of a 13–0 run for the Pokes, holding Air Force scoreless for more than five and a half minutes.
After that, though, Air Force proceeded to hold Wyoming scoreless for much of the final four and a half minutes of the half, and the Falcons went into the halftime break with a 36–33 lead.
A Newton 3-pointer about four minutes into the second half made it a one-possession game, down 44–42. About eight minutes later, Allen added a pair of 3-pointers and Belic added a basket to tie the game at 55–55 with eight minutes left.
Nesbitt added a pair of free throws and gave Wyoming a 58–56 lead with just under six minutes left. Wyoming held Air Force without a point for over four minutes and built the lead to 62–56 with just over four minutes left.