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The Wyoming Cowboys were missing Larry Nance Jr. but it was the Air Force Falcons who weren't missing much of anything as they defeated the visitors from Laramie 73-50 Saturday afternoon in true trap game fashion. The victory drops Wyoming into second place behind San Diego State who plays Boise State tomorrow. For the Falcons, the victory was the icing on the cake for the home week as they also defeated New Mexico this week to gain two huge victories as they climb out of the basement of the Mountain West Conference.
The Falcons shot 57 percent from the field and made 10 of their 20 three-point field goal attempts in a masterful shooting display versus one of the best defensive teams in the nation. Even with the Cowboys missing their defensive anchor in Nance, the Falcons were on top of the game from the field, particularly Zach Kocur who was a perfect six of six from the field, including making both his three-pointers to finish the game with 14 points. Marek Olesinski would match the 14 points from Kocur for game high on the evening. Joining Olesinski and Kocur in double digits were Matt Mooney off the bench with 12 and starting forward Hayden Graham who finished with 10 points and also recorded his first career double-double with 11 rebounds.
The Cowboys had perhaps their worst game of the season from the field as well. The Falcons and Cowboys both entered the game as top shooting teams in the conference, but the Cowboys struggled from the field all night only connecting on 35% of their shots and an even more anemic 27% from behind the three-point line. Josh Adams and Jason McManamen would score 11 and 10 points respectively, but the Cowboys just appeared to be off their game the entire afternoon.
The Cowboys will hope for a return of Nance as they prepare for a Wednesday night showdown in San Diego versus the Aztecs for the overall lead of the Mountain West Conference. The Falcons will also be on the road this week as they head to Boise to take on the Broncos. With the Mountain West Tournament fast approaching, the seeding is starting to take shape and the upper level teams are starting to jockey for favorable positioning and match-ups.