(UW Athletics release)
LARAMIE, Wyo. – The Cowboys head west for the second-straight season to take on Oregon State in a Saturday afternoon matinee at 1 p.m. MT. The Pokes defeated the Beavers last season in the second game of the year earning a 75-66 win in Corvallis. It will be the 13th meeting between the two schools.
The game will be televised on the Pac-12 Network with Rich Burk on play-by-play and Steve Lavin on color. Fans can listen to the game and follow stats on GoWyo.com. The game will be broadcast live on radio over the 25 affiliate stations of the Cowboy Sports Network, as Dave Walsh and Kevin McKinney will call the action.
Wyoming opened the season with a 76-66 loss to UC Santa Barbara on Tuesday evening. The Pokes shot 36 percent from the field going 21-of-58 for the night. Wyoming was 5-of-29 from the three point line for 17 percent.
The Pokes held an advantage in the paint for the evening, 28-24. Wyoming also did a nice job of forcing turnovers, as UCSB committed 18 on the night. Wyoming finished with 14 points on those turnovers. On the other side, Wyoming only turned the ball over nine times.
The Beavers were impressive in their 72-59 season opening win over UC Riverside. Oregon State shot 51 percent from the field and held the Highlanders to 39 percent shooting. The Beaver outscored UC Riverside 44-32 in the second half on their way to the win. OSU was also solid with the basketball only committing seven turnovers on the night.
Senior Justin James led the Pokes with 20 points and 11 rebounds in the season opener for his eighth career double-double. James did most of his damage in the second half with 17 points. He passed Marcus Bailey for 18th in career scoring, as he now has 1,375 points. James also added a team-high four assists and went 10-of-14 from the free throw line.
Wyoming’s other top players in the season opener were redshirt freshman Hunter Thompson, who is unavailable for Saturday’s game, as added 10 points in his first career game for Wyoming. He was 4-of-6 from the field on the night. He left the game in the second half with an injury, as he played 15 minutes for Wyoming. Sophomore Hunter Maldonado added 12 points with senior Nyaires Redding finishing his night with nine points. Junior Jake Hendricks added eight points and two assists off the Cowboy bench.
The Pac-12’s leading returning scorer Tres Tinkle led Oregon State in scoring in the season opener. He recorded 19 points and added eight rebounds. He also finished the night with a game-high seven assists. Stephen Thompson Jr. added 18 points and five rebounds. He shot 53 percent from the field on the night.
Saturday’s game is the 13th meeting between the two schools .Oregon State leads the series 8-4. Last season, a 13-2 scoring run by the Pokes with six minutes remaining carried Wyoming to a 75-66 road win.
The Cowboys return to the friendly confines of the Arena-Auditorium next Wednesday for a 7 p.m. start against Grambling State.
