LARAMIE, Wyo. - Western Illinois fell behind in the first half and could not overcome the deficit at Wyoming, dropping a 64-55 decision Saturday night (Nov. 20). The Leathernecks dropped to 2-2 overall while Wyoming improved to 2-2.
Matt Lander hit a 3-pointer early to put Western ahead 11-6. However, the Cowboys scored seven of the next eight points and would never trail again.
Tommie Tyler hit two free throws to pull Western to within one, 17-16, but another run by Wyoming - this time a 9-0 streak - extended the lead to 10.
Ceola Clark III drained a 3-pointer making it a four-point deficit with 11 seconds left in the first half. UW hit a layin at the buzzer to take a six point lead into the locker room.
In the second half, Western cut the Wyoming lead to two thanks to a pair of free throws by Brandon Smith at the 12 minute mark. Wyoming then scored six unanswered pushing the lead to eight points. With 6:55 remaining, Mael Amenyedzi hit the third of his three 3s in the game to make it a six point game. However, Wyoming put the game away using another 7-0 run with just over five minutes remaining and led by at least eight points down the stretch.
"Wyoming played very well, and we could not stop Desmar Jackson when we needed to," Western Illinois head coach Jim Molinari said. "We started slow and had troubles moving the ball offensively. We weren't very aggressive against their zone defense in the first half, but we did a much better job attacking it in the second half. They shot 25 free throws to our 16. When we needed a big defensive stop, we could not prevent them from getting to the free throw line."
Lander was the only Leatherneck in double-figures totaling 12 points. Clark and Amenyedzi recorded nine points each. Clark also swiped three passes. Jack Houpt grabbed a team-leading seven rebounds and dished out four assists.
Desmar Jackson and Djibril Thiam led the Cowboys with 13 points apiece.
Western will travel to Cancun, Mexico, for the final two games of the 2010 Cancun Challenge. The Leathernecks will face Morgan State on Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. central. then either North Florida or Prairie View A&M on Wednesday.
