Wyoming beats Air Force in Mountain West opener

The contest between Air Force and Wyoming would start off relatively slow, as it took five minutes for either team to crack double digits.

Air Force kept the game close for the first 13 minutes of the game, trailing 18-19. Wyoming’s offense then woke up, finishing the half on a 22-8 run. UW would lead 41-26 going into halftime.

With the Cowboys ahead by 15 at the half, Air Force stumbled out of the gate. Wyoming began the second half on a 9-1 run. The Pokes held the largest margin in the game, 73-48, on a three by Jason McManamen with eight minutes left in the game.

The Falcon’s Dane Norman hit a three to spark a 17-3 rally by the boys in blue.

The Falcons would come within ten points of the Cowboys before Sam Averbuck iced the game with two free throws. The Cowboys would run out the clock for an 84-72 victory.

Hayden Dalton and Al Herndon would lead the Pokes with 15 points a piece. Justin James and Alexander Aka Gorski would add 14 each.

The Cowboys shot 43.8% from the floor, slightly above their season average of 42.8%. They also used the long ball effectively, shooting 14-35 on the night. Air Force, for comparison, shot 7-22.

When this Cowboys team is on, they are on, as evidenced by the 73-48 lead. First-year coach Allen Edwards has done an outstanding job leading this team so far, and could make a deep run in the Mountain West Tourney if he keeps this up.