(Wyoming release)
LARAMIE, Wyo. – Wyoming hits the road once again heading to Evansville to take on the Purple Aces in the Mountain West/Missouri Valley Showdown on Wednesday at 5 p.m. MT inside the Ford Center. It is a special contest for Wyoming head coach Allen Edwards, as he faces former Kentucky teammate Walter McCarty. The duo were a part of the National Championship team for the Wildcats in 1996.
The game will be streamed on ESPN+. 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.
A Look at the Matchup
Wyoming heads to the Hoosier State with a 2-4 overall record. Wyoming is coming off a third-place finish at the Fort Myers Tip-Off after defeating Richmond by a score of 68-66 last Wednesday. The Pokes have done a good job taking care of the basketball this season averaging 11 per game, which ranks third in the MW and No. 33 in the nation.
Wyoming is shooting 41 percent from the field, while opponents shot at a 47 percent clip. Wyoming shoots 33 percent from behind the arc. Wyoming has attempted 151 free throws this season ranking second in the MW and No. 53 in the nation. Wyoming is shooting 71 percent from the charity stripe.
Evansville sports a 2-3 overall record after falling to in-state foe Ball State 82-72 last Saturday on the road. The Purple Aces score 78.8 points per game on the season and allow 81.4. Evansville is shooting 46 percent from the field, while opponents shoot 47 percent.
The Purple Aces are shooting 41 percent from behind the arc for third in the MVC and No. 39 in the nation. Evansville hits 10.4 three-pointers per game this season, as that leads the MVC and ranks No. 27 in the nation.
Each Team’s Leaders
Senior Justin James leads the Cowboys in scoring, assists and rebounds this season. He leads the MW in scoring at 23.3 points per game, ranks sixth in the MW in rebounds at 8.3 per night and seventh in assists at 4.0. James leads the Mountain West in both free throws made and attempted. He ranks second in the nation in attempts and third in the nation in makes.
Sophomore Hunter Maldonado adds 14.2 points per game on the season. He also adds eight rebounds per game ranking seventh in the MW. Junior guard Jake Hendricks ranks third on the team in scoring at 13.7 per game. He ranks second in the conference and No. 40 in the nation with 20 three pointers this season.
Evansville is led in scoring by graduate transfer Shea Feehan. He adds 15.8 points per game. He has hit 16 threes this season. He led the nation in scoring last season at the NCAA Division III level at over 30 points per game. K.J. Riley adds 12.6 points per game with 15 assists on the year. John Hall leads the team grabbing 6.8 rebounds per night to go along with 10.2 points per game.
About the Series
Wednesday’s game is the fourth meeting all-time between the two schools. Wyoming is 2-0 in Laramie, but fell to the Purple Aces in the only meeting in Evansville by a score of 84-63 in 1988.
Up Next
The Cowboys return home to take on Front Range foe Northern Colorado at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
