Mountain West championship game halftime update: Wyoming starts hot, leads San Diego State at the half

LAS VEGAS  – The Wyoming Cowboys started off hot against the San Diego State Aztecs in the Mountain West tournament title game. The Cowboys were hot and raced out to a 17-5 lead and Larry Nance, Jr. led the way with 10 of those points, including a pair of three-pointers.

San Diego State clawed their way back and outscored Wyoming 20-9 to make it a 28-25 game at the break. The Aztecs had a chance to make it a one-point game to end the half but Winston Shepard's shot attempt at the end of the half was after the buzzer.

San Diego State went away from a zone defense and started to double Nance to slow him down, and it worked as the Aztecs held him to 12 points in the half. The potent Aztecs defense is not having their best day as they allowed Wyoming to shoot 50 percent from the field, but it did find its footing in the second part of the first period.

The Cowboys have been using the three ball to build their lead against the Aztecs and made 5 of 9. The typical Wyoming offense of ball movement and then attacking has been sprinkled in their game plan, and it is working well.

The Aztecs need to find a rhythm and improve their offense performance. They are just 3 of 9 from beyond the arc but they are 6 of 13 from inside the arc, so maybe attacking the rim would be a better strategy for San Diego State.

San Diego State did start poor in their prior games in the Mountain West tournament, but have found a way to win those games.