Cowboys Use Three Ball to Take Down Fresno State in Overtime, 83-72

Pokes hit season-high 17 threes

LARAMIE, Wyo. (Jan. 28, 2025) – Guard Obi Agbim knocked down a three-pointer as time expired to send the game into overtime and the Cowboys put away Fresno State in the extra period to earn an 83-72 win inside the Arena-Auditorium in Laramie on Tuesday. The Cowboys knocked down a season-high 17 threes with 11 coming in the second half and overtime to move to 11-10 overall and 4-6 in conference play.

The 17 threes by the Brown and Gold were the most in a game for the Cowboys since setting an NCAA Record with 28 against Hastings College on Nov. 26, 2021. It was also the most for the Pokes in a MW game since hitting 20 against Utah State on Feb. 6, 2016.

“Winning in this league is so hard and it is a knock down drag them out game and I have a lot of respect for coach Walberg and I told our guys nobody quits in this league,” UW head coach Sundance Wicks. “You can’t count us out either and we are fighting every day and we needed a game like this to believe that we could do it. To be able to be up 13 and lose the lead and have to come back and execute in the final minute with guys making big plays, as a coach you say thank you. It is fun to be a part of those games when you win it. Every night is a jigsaw puzzle and we have to find the right guys to go out and defend and rebound and make winning plays.”

Wyoming recorded a season-high 23 assists for the most since the Hastings game in 2021 with 27 in that contest. The Pokes shot 49.1 percent from the field and were 17-of-36 for 47 percent from behind the arc. Wyoming held Fresno State to 40.9 percent and 16.7 percent in overtime. The Bulldogs recorded 38 rebounds with the Cowboys adding 35.

Guard Kobe Newton added 18 points to lead the Cowboys, as he went 4-of-8 from behind the arc. Agbim added 17 points going 5-of-7 from behind the arc and 4-of-5 in the second half and overtime and led the team with five assists. Jordan Nesbitt added his eighth double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Dontaie Allen added 14 points tying a season-high, as he added four threes on the night. Cole Henry added eight points and four assists and was +21 on the night.

Wyoming’s Agbim opened the game with an alley-oop slam, but Wyoming would go scoreless for nearly three minutes, as the bulldogs went on a 7-0 run. Dontaie Allen stopped the run with a three pointer for a 7-5 game with 16:30 left in the first half.

Agbim gave Wyoming a 11-9 lead with a three-pointer, but the Bulldogs responded with a 4-0 run. The Pokes would go on an 8-0 run with threes from A.J. Wills and Kobe Newton and a layup from Matija Belic on a behind the back pass from Cole Henry. UW held Fresno State scoreless for over three minutes to take a 19-13 lead halfway through the half.

Newton knocked down his third triple of the game to make it a 25-16 game for the Pokes with eight minutes left in the half. Tainamo helped the Pokes move the lead to double digits, but the Cowboys would go scoreless for over four minutes as the Bulldogs made it a 29-26 game with a 7-0 run.

The Pokes would record three turnovers in the final two minutes, as it became at 31-30 lead for the Brown and Gold at the half. 

Agbim and Allen knocked down a pair of threes, as Wyoming took a 37-33 lead early in the second half. Henry added a slam then free throws and a Wills three and Newton layup made it a 46-33 lead on a 12-0 run with 16 minutes left.

Wyoming went scoreless for over six minutes with the Bulldogs doing so for over four and a half, as it became a 49-38 game for the Pokes. Fresno State made it a nine-point game with nine minutes left and pushed it to six points. Jordan Nesbitt added a three to halt the run and made it a 52-43 game with 8:23 left in the second half.

The teams traded three-pointers, but the Bulldogs made it a three-point game at 57-54 with a 7-0 run, but Wills found Henry for a layup and a 59-54 game with 3:34 left. Fresno State went on a 6-0 run to take a 50-59 lead with 1:56 left and pushed it to a 63-59 with 1:25 left on an and-one play.

Henry made it a two-point game, but a bucket from the Bulldogs made it 64-61 with 41 seconds left. Allen knocked down a three-pointer with 25 seconds left for a 65-64 contest. The Bulldogs made it a three-point game at the line with 21 seconds left. The Pokes tied the contest with a triple by Agbim with defenders all over him to send the game to overtime.

Nesbitt added a free throw followed by a triple from Agbim made it a four-point game, after a bucket from Fresno State, the Cowboys hit a pair of threes from Nesbitt and Agbim for a 77-69 lead with two minutes left in overtime.

The Bulldogs made it a seven-point game at 77-70 at the line with 86 seconds left. Newton and Nesbitt made it an 81-70 game with under a minute left and walked away with an 83-72 win.

Fresno State was led by Jalen Weaver with 23 points and added six rebounds. Elijah Price added a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds.

Wyoming hits the road on Saturday with a trip to San Diego State for a 6 p.m. start on CBS Sports Network.