Cowboys still learning how to finish games

CHEYENNE - It's a trend for the University of Wyoming men's basketball team.

Unfortunately for the Cowboys, it's not a good one.

UW (10-12 overall, 3-6 Mountain West) lost its third straight game Tuesday night, 71-60 at Fresno State. In all three games, the Cowboys held leads, including two in the second half.

But despite giving itself chances to win all three games late in the second half, UW couldn't make enough plays.

"We're not playing hard enough at the end of the game," said sophomore forward Hayden Dalton after the Fresno State game. "It's an overall toughness. We just have to play hard the whole game."

Against Fresno State, UW led by as many as 12 points in the first half, and grabbed a seven-point lead early in the second. But the Cowboys made only five baskets in the second half. They went 7 minutes, 38 seconds without scoring, and 10:35 without making a basket.

"We ran our offense no different in first half to the second half," UW coach Larry Shyatt said. "We dropped some shots in first half (52.6 percent), and missed many of the same shots in the second half.

"(The ball) just didn't go in. Sometimes those things happen, but I found no fault in our effort."

Aside from the missed shots, UW allowed Fresno State to pull down 12 offensive rebounds, which resulted in 22 second-chance points. Shyatt and Dalton both said that was the biggest factor in the loss.

Offensive boards have been factors in many of UW's losses this season. It has allowed teams to have 12 or more offensive rebounds nine times this season. The Cowboys are 2-7 in those games.

UW is at the midway point of the conference season. In all of its six losses, it had chances to win in the second half. Not bad for a team with the fourth-youngest roster in Division I basketball, and lacks physical maturity inside. Shyatt isn't into moral victories, but he's encouraged as his team heads into the second half of league play.

"I feel like we could lose every game left on our schedule, and also told them I feel like we can win every game left on our schedule," Shyatt said.

"We need to keep grinding and learning, and finish some of these games."

Added Dalton: "We thought we'd be ahead of where we are. Every game in conference we had a chance to win. We are looking at the second half the same way."

Marvelous Marvelle

UW had done a good job against some of the better individual players in the MW prior to the Fresno State game.

But Bulldogs senior guard Marvelle Harris had his way against the Cowboys. The preseason player of the year in the MW scored a team-best 25 points. He was 8 of 18 from the field, made all seven of his free throws and also had five rebounds and two steals.

"I was disappointed in how we defended him," Shyatt said."What he does best is score to the right, and he utilized that about as well as I've seen."

30 for 30

Senior guard Josh Adams scored a game-high 32 points against Fresno State. It was the seventh time this season and in his career Adams has scored 30-plus points in a game.

UW is 2-5 in those games.

Adams was 7 of 19 from the field. No other UW player made more than two baskets. He also was 13 of 15 from the free-throw line. No other player made more than two, and no one attempted more than four.

Adams is averaging 25 points per game, which moved him from fifth to fourth in the country.