James Leads Wyoming Past Denver, 82-70 [VIDEOS]

Four Cowboys scored in double figures, as Wyoming stopped a two-game skid with an 82-70 victory over Denver Wednesday in Laramie.

Justin James came off the bench and scored 21 points. It was James’ second straight 20-plus point game. He’s scored in double figures in five of UW’s six games. Louis Adams had 16 points off the bench. Jason McManamen added 13 points, while Alan Herndon chipped in 12 with seven rebounds.

Wyoming (4-2) opened up a 20-point lead in the first half. With the score 30-22, the Pokes went on a 16-4 run. A McManamen basket got it started. Herndon and James added three’s, while Adams punctuated it with a steal and dunk for a 46-26 advantage. It was 46-30 at halftime.

Denver (2-4) rallied within eight points. The Pioneers crafted a 7-2 run that made it 71-63 UW.

A three-point play by Adams pushed the Cowboys ahead 74-63. Wyoming went six-for-six at the foul line in the final minute and closed out the 12-point win.

UW shot 42 percent from the field. They went 9-of-31, 29 percent from deep. The Cowboys only made a pair of three’s in the second half, as they went 2-of-10. Wyoming scored 17 points off 19 Denver turnovers, and the Pokes got 45 points from their bench. They finished 21-of-25 (84%) at the foul line.

The Pioneers were led by Joe Rosga with 13 points. Denver shot 42.6 percent from the floor. They out-rebounded UW 41-34.

The Cowboys return to action Saturday with the Mountain West-Missouri Valley challenge game against Northern Iowa. It’s rematch of the 2015 NCAA Tournament game won by the Panthers.

A reminder to all Wyoming fans that the Cowboys basketball game against UNI has been moved up to a 1 p.m. start. That was done to avoid a conflict with the Mountain West Championship Football game.