Pokes Drop Rollercoaster Contest with LMU in Cancun Challenge Title Game, 73-70

Agbim leads Pokes with 23 points 

CANCUN, Mexico (Nov. 27, 2024) – The Wyoming Cowboys dropped a rollercoaster game against Loyola Marymount falling to the Lions 73-70 in the title game of the Cancun Challenge at the Hard Rock Resort in Cancun, Mexico on Wednesday. The Cowboys trailed by 16 points and would battle back to lead by 10 in the second half, but a run by the Lions late gave LMU the tournament title.

“We made good adjustments in the second half to get back in it, but I tip my cap to LMU,” UW head coach Sundance Wicks said. “In the first half we talked about transition and 18 of their 40 points came in transition and you can’t give a team like that those numbers. I told our guys to think about one thing you could have done better and I have been thinking about it since the game got over myself.”

The Cowboys were held to 43 percent from the field in the contest and shot 31 percent from behind the arc. Loyola Marymount shot 49 percent from the field and knocked down eight three pointers. Wyoming held a 37-32 lead on the glass.

The Cowboys were led by Obi Agbim with 23 points and has now scored in double-figures 50 times in his career. He was 3-of-4 from behind the arc. Cole Henry added 12 points for back-to-back games in double-figures. He was 5-of-8 from the field. Jordan Nesbitt added 10 points and 10 rebounds for his fourth-straight double-double and fifth of the season. Kobe Newton added nine points for the Cowboys.

Agbim got off to a fast start with eight points to give Wyoming a 10-9 lead in the opening three minutes of the game. LMU used the transition game and Cowboy turnovers and took a 13-10 lead on the Cowboys with 15 minutes left in the first frame.

LMU’s Jevon Porter opened the game 5-of-5 and 3-of-3 from behind the arc and gave the Lions a 19-14 lead. The Cowboys could not slow down the Lions with LMU building a 27-16 lead on the Pokes with under nine minutes left in the first stanza.

The Cowboys would cut a LMU lead of 16 points to 10 points with under three minutes left in the half. But the Lions would take a 40-27 lead into the half shooting 53 percent in the frame with the Pokes being held to 30 percent.

Henry recorded a pair of buckets to open the second half to make it a nine-point contest at 40-31. Nesbitt added a triple and a pair of free throws to make it a five-point game at 41-36 with under 18 minutes left in the game.

Agbim gave the Pokes a lead with a triple for a 44-43 game with 15:37 left in the game. The lead was short lived though with the Lions building the lead back to three points. Wyoming took a 52-49 lead on a Touko Tainamo layup halfway through the half.

Scottie Ebube pushed the lead to five-points at 56-51 with his first bucket of the game with 9:02 left. He gave Wyoming a nine-point lead, but a three-pointer from LMU made it a six-point game until Ebube added another bucket for a 62-64 game with under seven minutes left.

After the Cowboys took a 10-point lead, the Lions went on a 10-0 run to tie the game at 64-64 with three minutes left in the contest. A three-pointer by Jevon Port would give LMU a 67-66 lead.  An Obi Agbim made it a one-point game with 34 seconds left on an Agbim bucket. LMU made it a three-point game at 71-81 at the line with 25 seconds left.

Henry made it a one-point game once again with 10 seconds left. LMU pushed the contest to three points with eight seconds left and the cowboys got a look late but fell 73-70.

Loyola Marymount was led by Porter with 29 points. He was 11-of-18 from the field and 6-of-12 from behind the arc.

The Cowboys return to action on December 4 opening conference play at Utah State.