Michael Smyth/ Tahoe Onstage photos
A late second-half surge helped No. 11 seeded Wyoming top No. 3 Nevada 74-71 in the Mountain West Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament on Thursday at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas.
The Cowboys battled back from a 10-point halftime deficit and outscored the Wolf Pack 41-28 in the second half. Wyoming advances to the semifinals against No. 2 seeded Utah State on Friday, March 6 at 8:30 p.m.
Nevada ends its season at 19-12 overall.
The Cowboys improved to 9-23 overall. They entered the tourney with just two conference wins games. They beat No. 6 Colorado State 80-74 on Wednesday.
The Wolf Pack shot 36 percent from the field and 36 percent from 3-point range. Lindsey Drew scored a team-high 19 points with six rebounds. Jalen Harris added17 points on just 2-of-13 shooting and fouled out with 2:34 remaining. Jazz Johnson had 15 points and three rebounds.
Nevada missed 11 consecutive shots and went 10:14 without a made field goal in the second half to fuel Wyoming’s ferocious comeback.
Wyoming shot 39 percent shooting from the field and 41 percent from beyond the arc. Kwane Marble III scored a game-high 24 points with four rebounds. Hunter Thompson added 17 points on 4-of-6 shooting.
The Mountain West Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament continues Friday. The winners advance to the championship round on Saturday. No. 1 seeded San Diego State and Utah State narrowly escaped with close victories to advance.
Up next: Nevada can only hope for a CBI or NIT tournament bid. However, it is likely the end of Coach Steve Alford’s first season at Nevada, along with the college careers of Drew, Johnson, Johncarlos Reyes and Nisré Zouzoua.
— Isaiah Burrows
