(WY Athletics release)
LARAMIE, Wyo. – The Cowboys return home for a key Mountain West contest against Boise State in the Arena-Auditorium on Saturday evening at 6 p.m. It will mark the third-straight contest the Pokes have played a team selected to finish in the top-three in the MW Preseason Coaches’ Poll.
Jerry Schemmel will be on the call with Sed Bonner on the color for AT&T SportsNet. Fans can listen to the game and follow live stats on GoWyo.com. The game will be broadcast live on radio over the 25 affiliate stations of the Cowboy Sports Network. Dave Walsh will have the play-by-play alongside Kevin McKinney on the color.
The Pokes (10-5, 1-1 MW) are averaging 82.5 points per game after two conference games this season, as UW is averaging 78.0 points per game on the year. The Pokes fell to 5-2 when scoring 80 or more points after Wednesday’s loss to Nevada 93-82.
Wyoming is shooting 43 percent from the field and 34 percent from behind the arc. Wyoming is second in the MW and No. 39 in the nation in free throw percentage at 75.3 percent. The Pokes continue to be an elite defensive rebounding team grabbing 29.7 defensive rebounds per game for second in the MW and No. 11 in the nation.
The Broncos are receiving votes in USA Today Coaches’ Poll and have a solid 13-2 record on the season a an unblemished 3-0 mark in conference play. The Broncos are balanced averaging 79.6 points per game and lead the MW in scoring defense at 65.4.
Boise State is shooting 47 percent from the field and 40 percent from behind the three point line. The Broncos are holding opponents to 40 percent from the field and lead the MW in three point percentage defense at 29 percent. The Broncos own a +9.1 rebound margin this season to lead the league.
The Pokes are led in scoring by junior guard Justin James at 17.0 points per game. He scored a career-high 30 points against Nevada on Wednesday. He is 13 points shy of 1,000 in his career with the Pokes. He ranks sixth in the MW and No. 90 in the nation in free throws made this season with 63.
Senior forward Hayden Dalton adds 16.7 points per game on the year with a team-best 7.9 rebounds per game. Both him and James have recorded four double-doubles on the season for sixth in the MW and No. 88 nationally. Both players also rank eighth and ninth in the MW in scoring respectively. Senior forward Alan Herndon adds 12.7 points per game and leads the MW with 35 total blocks this season. Senior guard Louis Adams adds 10.4 points off the bench for UW.
The Broncos are led by MW Preseason Player of the Year Chandler Hutchison. He scores 17.4 points per game and leads the team grabbing 8.5 rebounds per game. He has also dished out 51 assists on the year. Justinian Jessup adds 14.5 points per game and leads the team and MW in three point percentage at 50 percent. Alex Hobbs adds 11.1 points off the bench and is second on the team in assists with 41.
Saturday’s game is the 26th meeting between the two schools in a series that dates back to 1979. Wyoming is 13-12 all-time against BSU and is 8-5 in Laramie. The Broncos have won the last four meetings.
The Pokes hit the road next Wednesday heading to New Mexico to take on the Lobos for a 7 p.m. start. That game will be streamed on Stadium and Facebook.
