Cowboys Get Defensive in 80-63 Exhibition Win over College of Idaho

Pokes hold Coyotes to 35 percent from field

 LARAMIE, Wyo. (Oct. 25, 2024) – The Wyoming Cowboys held the College of Idaho to 35 percent from the field in an 80-63 win in an exhibition contest on Friday evening in the Arena-Auditorium in Laramie. The Pokes shot 58 percent from the field and hit 12 three pointers in the contest in the debut of the Sundance Wicks era of Wyoming Basketball.

“We are trying to get guys to play less casual and more concerned with the value of the possession of the basketball because at the end of the day it is always a one possession game,” UW head coach Sundance Wicks said. “We have a lot of things to work on, but what I love is our guys competed tonight and show some resilience..”

The contest celebrated both teams’ partnership with the Jae Foundation. The Jae Foundation is a leading non-profit focused on mental health awareness and suicide prevention. The Jae Foundation, founded in memory of Jae Bob Bing, focuses on educating the Wyoming and Idaho communities about mental health and suicide prevention, particularly among young people.

Wyoming was led by Touko Tainamo with 18 points and five rebounds, He was 7-of-11 from the field. Dontaie Allen added 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting from behind the arc. Kobe Newton added 12 points going 4-of-5 from behind the arc. Abou Magassa added nine rebounds to lead the team. Cole Henry added nine points, six rebounds and four assists.

The Cowboys shot 57 percent from behind the arc in the game going 12-of-21. Wyoming also dominated the glass in the contest 47-26.

The Coyotes controlled the action early, but an 8-0 run by the Pokes saw UW hold College of Idaho scoreless for over four minutes. Allen fueled the run with a pair of threes and Oleg Kojenets added a layup.

The Cowboys held College of Idaho scoreless again for over two minutes and took a 21-16 lead, but the Pokes struggled turning the ball over five times. The Pokes went on a 11-0 run to close the first half and took a 38-24 lead into the break. Wyoming held the ‘Yotes scoreless for the final four and a half minutes of the half with Newton fueling the run with a pair of three pointers.

The Coyotes cut the Wyoming lead to as little as six points in the opening minutes of the second half, but Tainamo pushed the lead to 50-40 with 14 minutes left in the game getting to double figures. Jordan Nesbitt gave Wyoming a 15-point advantage at 63-48 with eight minutes left.

The Cowboys held College of Idaho scoreless for four and a half minutes, but the Coyotes made it a 63-52 game with back-to-back buckets with just over five minutes left. Obi Agbim added a three and he found Allen for another for a 69-52 game.

The Pokes would maintain the advantage and take the 80-63 win as 13 different players saw action for the Cowboys.

The Coyotes were led by Alex Germer with 13 points on the night.

Wyoming officially opens the season on Monday, November 4 against Concordia, St. Paul. It is part of the doubleheader with the Cowgirls taking on Colorado with game action slated to start at 7:30 p.m. for the Cowboys.

About The Jae Foundation

The Jae Foundation is a leading non-profit focused on mental health awareness and suicide prevention. The Jae Foundation, founded in memory of Jae Bob Bing, focuses on educating the Wyoming and Idaho communities about mental health and suicide prevention, particularly among young people. A signature part of their approach involves donating cowboy boots, which serve as conversation starters about real-life issues. Wyoming Athletics and student-athletes are proud to be ambassadors to the Jae Foundation.

The Power of Jae Boots

Some call them Cowboy Boots, some call them Magic Boots – here at the Foundation, we call them Jae Boots. The Foundation was created with the idea that if Jae’s friend Jason had just slowed down and bought his buddy Jae a pair of Cowboy Boots (something Jae loved dearly), had a real conversation about mental health, depression and suicide, and made two commitments, things could have been different.

In a world full of technology and distractions the idea was simple. What if we took an hour out of our day to slow down and share Jae’s story, gift someone a pair of Cowboy Boots, and Check-In and see how they are ACTUALLY doing. Love them up and make some commitments. Once someone gets their Jae Boots, they serve as a reminder to check-in on those around us, be bold enough to have conversations around mental health, and even give us the strength to put our boots on and ask for help if needed.

Creating Boot-Check moments is why the Foundation exists, and the Boot is the ultimate tool to create those moments. We have heard and seen countless stories of how something so simple can do such amazing things. Some call that simple thing a Cowboy Boot, some call it a Magic Boot – here at the Foundation, we call it a Jae Boot.