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Wyoming and Fresno State will square off Tuesday night in Northern California for the first time this season (7 p.m. PT on ESPN3). The Cowboys are coming off a tough home stand where they fell to Nevada and Boise State, a game in which they were without top scorer Josh Adams.
Adams will return from his one game suspension Tuesday night in Fresno, hoping to bring back his dynamic scoring ability to the lineup.Fresno State on the other hand is coming home from a two game road trip.
The Bulldogs escaped from upset minded Air Force, with a nail biting 56-55 win. Cezar Guerrero and Torren Jones came up clutch in the final minute. Down 54-52, Guerrero nailed a three pointer from the right corner to give them a one point advantage.
After Air Force scored, Jones drove to the lane and finished a layup with five seconds left to close it out 56-55.Stepping in nicely during Adams absence verse Boise State was his backcourt partner Jason McManamen. The Wyoming native shot an efficient 10-for-16 from the field, collecting 25 points.
Keys for Wyoming: second half adjustments.
Head Coach Larry Shyatt has watched his team play stride by stride with teams in the first half but to no avail. In the Cowboys last two losses, they have combined to be outscored by 20 points in the second half after being tied at halftime.No Stand Around Basketball: With Josh Adams suspended, everyone else on Wyoming was forced to play a more prominent role.
A great player like Adams has a tendency to make others watch and wait. Wyoming desperately needs balance as great scoring performances by Adams keep leading to defeats. Big man Alan Herndon is coming off his best performance of the season verse Boise State, as he scored 16 points and grabbed 7 rebounds.Herndon will look to continue the momentum Tuesday.
Keys for Fresno State: stay balanced:
A balanced effort at Air Force in which we saw Torren Jones and Cesar Guerrero combine for 24 points is a major positive. Guard Marvelle Harris is the main offensive threat for the Bulldogs, averaging 18.1 points per game but it is even harder to beat Fresno State when they get all three going.
Positivity: Fresno State sits at 4-3 in conference play, good for fourth and is 13-7 overall. The Bulldogs proved they can play with the elite teams in the Mountain West Conference on Wednesday in a 73-67 overtime loss at San Diego State.
The Bulldogs showed no signs of being intimidated, playing in Viejas Arena and the game being nationally televised on ESPN. The Bulldogs clawed back in the second half from an eight point deficit and controlled the tempo with their tough, defensive style of basketball up until overtime.
Fresno State Head Coach Rodney Terry took to Twitter after the win at Air Force. "Hard fought team win on the road! We were forced to work the game for 40 minutes! Enjoy tonight! On to a tough prep for a good Wyoming team!"