December 1, 2022 — A shorthanded University of Wyoming men’s basketball team jumped off to a quick 6-0 lead and led 44-36 at the end of the first half but ended up losing to Santa Clara, 89-85, in overtime Wednesday afternoon in Salt Lake City. The Cowboys played the game without leading scorer Hunter Maldonado who suffered a head injury in the Poke’s last game.
“I thought we really played well and battled, all things considered,” head coach Jeff Linder. “I thought the effort was right. They just went out and played. They didn’t overthink things. A lot of guys did a lot of good things.”
The loss dropped Wyoming’s record to 3-4, while Santa Clara improved to 6-2 on the season.
Wyoming received significant contributions from quite a few bench players Wednesday. Noah Reynolds paced Wyoming with a career-high 25 points, while Max Agbonkpolo and Jeremiah Oden added 16 and 14 points, respectively.
“That’s the beauty of our team,” Linder said. “We have a lot of guys that when their names are called, they’re ready. It’s good to see Noah do what he did and for JO to see the ball go in. We definitely have some things to build on.
Agbonkpolo would give Wyoming a 70-64 lead with seven minutes left in the contest. Santa Clara made it a two-point game on a layup with under five minutes left, making it a 70-68 game. A three-pointer from the Broncos gave them a 75-74 lead with 1:31 left in regulation.
Oden answered with a three-pointer and made it a 77-75 game for the Pokes seconds later for the first triple of the half for the Brown and Gold. Santa Clara would send the game into overtime at the free throw line.
The teams would be neck and neck in the opening minutes of overtime, with the Pokes taking an 83-81 lead on no-look layup with 2:44 remaining in overtime, but Santa Clara hit a three seconds later for the lead. Santa Clara took an 86-85 lead on the Pokes and used the offensive glass to remain with the ball with 18 seconds remaining and used freebies and a layup to take the game 89-85 in overtime.
The Pokes will return home for the first time in 20 days hosting Grand Canyon on Saturday at 2 p.m. That game will be broadcast on WyoRadio’s 99.7 JACK-FM and 99KSIT.com beginning at 1:30 p.m.
