Corvallis, OR – The Wyoming Cowboys topped the Oregon State Beavers in Gill Coliseum 75-66. Both teams entered the contest after winning their first game.
This was a grind out game early on until the Cowboys from the Mountain West Conference began to find their shooting touch. ending the game shooting 51 percent. This is a Cowboys team that went 24-15 last season from a very tough conference who have a wealth of experience and leadership in their starting lineup, including two seniors and two juniors.
Tonight’s game was a tale of defense! Wyoming’s quick transition to protect its goal kept OSU into their half-court sets practically the whole night. Wyoming led at the half 40-35 despite having eight turnovers. The Cowboys led for 27:41 of the game. They had a very balanced attack throughout the game, especially from their very savvy aggressive seasoned veterans. The moment of “Truth” came, as OSU’s Coach Tinkle noted in the post-game press conference, when the young Beavers needed to get stops on the defensive end. Instead Wyoming went on a 22-5 run in the second half to seal a 2-0 start in their young season.
Defense and shooting hurt the Beavers (1-1) for most of the game, especially from long range as they only converted on 4-of-20 3-point attempts. The Beavers also found themselves in trouble as key freshman, 6-5 Ethan Thompson only played 22 minutes in the game due to foul trouble.
The Cowboys had several players who had immediate impact in this game, starting first with 6-2 junior guard Nyaires Redding. He played outstanding defense during his 19 minutes of play. 6-7 junior guard Justin James who carved and did his damage in the second half igniting for 13 of his 19 points. They also received outstanding play from 6-8 senior Forward Hayden Dalton. He finished the game with 22 points and nine rebounds, converting on 4-of-5 3-pointers in the first half. Dalton also had a big showing in the Cowboys season opener with 30 points. 6-9 senior forward Alan Herndon dominated the game on defense with six blocked shots to compliment his all-around consistent play of 16 points (4-8 3PT) and six rebounds. Herndon runs the floor extremely well and can knock down the transitional three point shot.
OSU’s highlights were from 6-8 junior forward Tres Tinkle who carried the Beavers on both ends of the floor. He played 38-minutes and finished with 20 points, 14 rebounds and three steals. 6-10 junior forward Drew Eubanks also made nice contributions with his 17 points (10 in 1st half). The young Beavers team which includes five freshman and four sophomores they will likely continue to improve with each game.
This article was written by Lorenzo Leaks, a correspondent and scout for NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.
We are looking for those interested in our basketball scout certification program. For information contact us and forward your resume.
