Cowboys fall to rival CSU 84-71 in Fort Collins

Feb. 24—FORT COLLINS, Colo. — The University of Wyoming men's basketball team lost its third straight game 84-71 to rival Colorado State on Friday at Moby Arena in Fort Collins.

The Cowboys struggled shooting the ball, finishing the game just 23-of-51 (45%) from the field to fall to 8-20 and 3-13 in the Mountain West. The Rams' offense dictated the pace from start to finish, shooting 29-of-49 (59%) from the field and 7-of-16 (44%) from 3-point range to move CSU to 13-16 and 5-11.

The two teams went back and forth in the first five minutes of the game, with the Rams inching out to a slim 10-8 lead before putting together a 10-0 run. CSU grew its lead to as many as 16 points in the first half, finishing the period 16-of-26 (62%) from the field to take a 40-30 lead into the halftime break.

The Cowboys struggled offensively in the first 20 minutes, shooting just 10-of-25 (40%) from the field and 4-of-14 (29%) from 3-point range. UW was out-rebounded 17-10 in the first half and was outscored 17-6 off the bench.

The Cowboys were able to inch back within five points three different times in the second half, but a late 10-0 run by the Rams was enough to close out UW in the final minutes.

"When you allow them to shoot 60%, it makes it really hard to win," UW coach Jeff Linder said. "Then you get in a situation where we got the momentum at the 7:07 mark, and it's a five-point game. You have to come down and get a stop. Lo and behold, they found a way to get two offensive rebounds that led to a 10-0 run.

"That's kind of been our M.O. all year. You have to find a way to sit down, and you've got to find a way to find a little bit more, especially when you're on the road in a tough environment."

Hunter Maldonado led UW in scoring with 23 points on 6-of-12 shooting. The super-senior added six rebounds, five assists, one block and one steal in the 13-point loss.

Brendan Wenzel added 14 points, and Hunter Thompson finished with 12. The pair combined for seven of UW's eight 3-pointers throughout the game.

All nine CSU players that checked in scored at least two points, with John Tonje leading the way with 25 points. James Moors added 16, and Isaiah Stevens finished with 15.

"We can't afford to make mistakes like that, whether it's getting beat outside or (offensive) rebounds and stuff like that," Wenzel said about the team's defensive performance. "We made too many of those mistakes, and it cost us."

The Cowboys will return to the court this week for their final home game of the season. UW will host Nevada (21-7 overall, 11-4 MW) at 7 p.m. Monday at the Arena-Auditorium.

Super-seniors Thompson and Maldonado will be honored before the game for senior night after spending the past six years with the program. Linder feels the pair deserves a good crowd to finish out the home schedule at the Arena-Auditorium.

"I really hope and pray that the fans of Wyoming, the alumni of Wyoming, the people of Laramie and the state of Wyoming can really come out and show their support for those two," Linder said. "What you see with those two guys is a dying breed. They're dinosaurs. In this day and age, and this world, in the climate of college basketball, the word that describes those two doesn't exist anymore, and that's loyalty.

"Those two guys have been here for six years," Linder said. "They stuck through hard times, the good times, the expectations of this year, but those guys never wavered in terms of what their everyday was. That's why they're going to be successful in whatever they do in life."

Linder had nothing but praise for Thompson and Maldonado in Fort Collins. Their loyalty to the program over the past six years, including staying when Linder took over in 2020, has earned plenty of respect from their head coach.

"Nobody wants to do 'hard' anymore," Linder said. "Guys want to do what's easy. If they don't play, it's somebody else's fault. It's the coach's fault or it's somebody else's fault. At the end of the day, Maldo could have a lot of excuses. Thompson's got the brunt of it from all the people in Wyoming who wanted him to be something that he wasn't.

"You know what he was, he's a great (expletive) human being. He's a great human being and a guy I would let marry my daughter. He's a guy that stayed loyal when there was a lot of people behind the scenes that people don't see on social media or all the other stuff that he has to hear behind the scenes. That guy, you know what, he never wavered in his loyalty to the University of Wyoming."

Maldonado has also carved out a spot in UW history with his numbers over the past six seasons. Seeing Maldonado and Thompson honored on Monday will be emotional for Linder, but something he knows both players more than deserve.

"(Maldonado) left a legacy at the University of Wyoming. Hunter Thompson left a legacy at the University of Wyoming," Linder said. "I hope the people of the state of Wyoming and the University of Wyoming and the fans come out and honor (them). You're not going to be honoring guys like this anymore. The word loyalty just doesn't exist anymore in college basketball."

Friday's loss against CSU was Linder's first since stepping away from the team to spend time with his sick father. The third-year coach missed Tuesday's game against Utah State, but returned to the bench with his father's blessing.

"I told him I was going to coach tonight, and that's what he wanted me to do," Linder said. "... I was blessed with two unbelievable parents who supported me, you know, with everything that I did and my dreams. It's only fitting that I be there for them when they need me the most."

The loss against CSU guarantees UW the No. 11 seed in the MW tournament next month in Las Vegas. Despite finishing in last place in the regular-season standings, Wenzel doesn't expect this year's Cowboys to roll over come playoff time.

"We all know that we're good when we don't make mistakes and things like that," Wenzel said. "I still think we can go win that tournament."

COLORADO STATE 84, WYOMING 71

Wyoming: Wenzel 5-15 3-3 17, Thompson 4-7 0-0 12, Maldonado 6-12 10-11 23, Oden 3-3 0-1 7, DuSell 2-8 0-1 4, Foster 2-4 2-2 6, Powell 1-1 0-2 2, Barnhart 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 23-51 15-20 71.

Colorado State: Cartier 3-5 0-0 6, Tonje 7-15 8-8 25, Stevens 6-10 2-3 15, Lake 1-2 0-0 2, Rivera 3-5 0-1 6, Jackson 2-3 0-0 5, Moors 4-6 8-9 16, Palmer 1-1 0-0 3, Hebb 2-2 1-1 6. Totals: 29-49 19-21 84.

Halftime: Colorado State 40-30. 3-pointers: CSU 7-16 (Tonje 3-6, Stevens 1-2, Lake 0-1, Rivera 0-1, Jackson 1-2, Moors 0-2, Hebb 1-1, Palmer 1-1); UW 10-29 (Wenzel 4-11, Thompson 4-7, Maldonado 1-4, DuSell 0-4, Barnhart 0-1, Foster 0-1, Oden 1-1). Rebounds: CSU 32 (Tonje 6); UW 19 (Maldonado 6). Assists: CSU 19 (Stevens 12), UW 13 (Wenzel 6); Turnovers: CSU 11, UW 11 (Oden 3). Blocks: UW 3; CSU 2 (Stevens 1, Moors 1). Steals: UW 5; CSU 4. Team fouls: UW 20, CSU 20. Fouled out: Wyoming 1 (Oden).

Attendance: 8,083.

Alex Taylor covers the University of Wyoming for WyoSports. He can be reached at ataylor@wyosports.net or 269-364-3560. Follow him on Twitter at @alex_m_taylor22.