(UW Athletics release)
LARAMIE, Wyo. – The Cowboys return to the friendly confines of the Arena-Auditorium this week with a pair of contests. Wyoming opens the week with Grambling State on Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. in the first meeting all-time against the schools.
The game will be streamed on the MW Network with Jonathan Schillace on play-by-play and Liv Roberts on color. Fans can watch, 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 dropped an 83-64 contest at Oregon State on Saturday. The Cowboys enter the contest 0-2 on the season. The Pokes are averaging 65 points per game and are allowing 79.5 per game. Wyoming has struggled from the three-point line shooting 23 percent. The Pokes are shooting 39 percent from the field on the season.
Wyoming is averaging only 10.5 turnovers per game on the season and have recorded 12 steals on the year. Opponents are only shooting 32 percent from the three-point line, but are shooting 50 percent from the field.
Grambling State heads to the Gem City with a 1-0 record after defeating Jarvis Christian last Friday evening by a score of 105-68. The Tigers shot 59 percent from the field in that contest and owned a 57-40 advantage on the glass.
Grambling returns three starters from a team that went 17-14 last season. The Tigers were 13-5 in the SWAC, which earned them a regular season conference title.
Senior Justin James leads the Cowboys averaging 19 points per game to go along with 10.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists per night. James is seventh in the conference in points, third in rebounding and second in assists. He nearly recorded a triple-double at Oregon State falling one assist shy, as his nine dishes were the most by a Cowboy since 2010.
Junior guard Jake Hendricks and sophomore guard Hunter Maldonado add 11 points per game. Hendricks added a career-high 14 points at Oregon State connecting on four three pointers. Maldonado, who is playing through an injury added 10 points at Oregon State. He is second on the team with four assists this season.
Grambling State is led in scoring by Dallas Polk-Hollard at 17 points per game. He also leads the team grabbing 10 rebounds per game. Lasagna Johnson adds 16 points per game and five rebounds. Ivy Smith adds 11 points per game and six rebounds. He also added a team-best four assists in the season opener.
Saturday’s game marks the first meeting between the two schools. Wyoming played SWAC tournament champion Texas Southern last season in the Arena-Auditorium, as Wyoming downed Grambling’s rival by a score of 72-66.
Tickets are available to Wednesday’s game by: going online at GoWyo.com/tickets, emailing tickets@uwyo.edu, calling 307-766-7220 or stopping by the UW Athletics Ticket Office on the west side of the Arena-Auditorium.
The Cowboys wrap up their brief homestand on Friday hosting Niagara in the Arena-Auditorium for a 7 p.m. start.
