Cowboys Can’t Push Past South Dakota in 82-81 Road Loss

Pokes Bench adds 39 points 

VERMILLION, S.D. (Dec. 10, 2024) – The Wyoming bench gave the Cowboys a lift in the second half, but Pokes could not overcome South Dakota in 82-81 road loss on Tuesday evening inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center in Vermillion, S.D. on Tuesday evening. The Pokes bench added 39 points with a career-high from A.J. Wills and season-high from Dontaie Allen.

The Pokes allowed the Coyotes to shoot 45 percent from the field but did hold USD to only four three pointers. Wyoming knocked down eight threes for the night. Wyoming held a 44-28 advantage on the glass, but South Dakota used the dibble drive for 42 points in the paint. Wyoming shot 43 percent from the field on the night but recorded 19 turnovers.

“We let the fight come to us tonight and didn’t bring the fight to them,” UW head coach Sundance Wicks said. “We have to be better down the stretch and just go out and win the game. Defense has to travel and we defended the arc and we had to guard the one-on-one and I tip my cap to them.”

The Cowboys were led in scoring by Obi Agbim with 17 points, as he has scored in double-figures in every contest this season. Kobe Newton added 10 points for his fifth game in double-figure this season. Dontaie Allen added a season-high 10 points for his first game in double-figures for the Cowboys. A.J. Wills added a career-high 16 points off the bench for the Cowboys. He was 6-of-6 from the line.

Turnovers haunted the Cowboys in the early goings of the first half with the Coyotes taking a 6-0 lead. Agbim stopped the run with a three and the transition game by the Pokes made it an 8-7 game for South Dakota with 15:26 left in the first half. The Pokes took a 9-8 lead, but USD took the lead back at the line with 13:27 left in the half.

Wyoming battled and took a 16-15 lead on a Newton three-pointer near the 11-minute mark of the opening frame. Wyoming would lead by as much as two points, but the Coyotes would take the lead at 23-21, but Abou Magassa tied the game with a slam with 6:35 left in the half.

South Dakota would use the free throw line to build a four-point lead at 30-26 with under five minutes left in the first stanza. Agbim added a three and found Cole Henry for a dunk followed by a pair of freebies for a 33-32 lead for the Pokes with 2:38 left in the half. The two teams would be tied at 37-37 at the half.

An early 4-0 run gave the Coyotes a 41-37 lead to open the second frame. The Pokes went on a 5-0 run to take a 42-41 lead thanks to a three from Jordan Nesbitt. The Coyotes went on a 9-0 run over four minutes to build a 52-45 lead on the Cowboys with under 14 minutes left.

The Pokes could not cut into the Coyote lead with Wyoming making it a five-point game at 60-55 with under nine minutes left. But the ‘Yotes would continue enjoy a seven-point advantage for most of the stretch. A three-pointer from Wills and pair of threes from Allen made it a 66-64 game for the Coyotes with 6:32 left.

The Cowboys would make it a one-point game on numerous occasions, but a three from the ‘Yotes made it a 77-72 game with 3:33 left. The lead was pushed to six-points with 2:11 left. Agbim made it a 78-75 game with 1:14 left. Wills got his career-high with a pair of free throws for a 78-77 game for the ‘Yotes with 37.9 seconds left.

South Dakota added a pair of free throws for an 80-77 game with 12 seconds left. Wills added another pair of free throws for an 80-79 game, but a pair of free throws by USD pushed the lead back to three and after a pair of free throws by Wyoming South Dakota took the game 82-81.

The Coyotes were led by Chase Forte with 25 points in the contest. He was 9-of-14 from the free throw line. Kaleb Stewart added 17 points.

The Cowboys remain on the road and head to Salt Lake City for a matchup against BYU in the Delta Center on Saturday at 7 p.m.