(UW Athletics release)
LARAMIE, Wyo. – The Cowboy Cagers return to action after their mid-week bye heading to Utah State to tangle with the Aggies on Saturday evening at 7 p.m. MT. The Pokes and Aggies have met 76 times in a series that dates back to Jan. 15, 1926.
The contest will be streamed on the Mountain West Network. Fans can watch, listen 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.
A Look at the Matchup
The Pokes moved to 11-7 overall and 2-3 in Mountain West play after falling to Colorado State at home 78-73 last Saturday. The Pokes have been effective getting to the free throw line this season, but have done an excellent job getting to the line in conference play averaging 28 free throw attempts per game. The Pokes are converting on 74 percent of those attempts for nearly 21 points per game.
The Poke are shooting 43 percent from the field and 33 percent from behind the arc. The Pokes average 8.3 triples per game for fifth in the MW. Wyoming is grabbing 29 defensive rebounds per game for second in the MW and No. 19 in the nation.
The Aggies head into the contest with a 10-10 overall record and a 3-4 mark in the MW after falling at Boise State on Wednesday. Utah State averages 73.7 points per game on the season and ranks seconds in the MW in three pointers attempted at 495. The Aggies have hit 173 three balls this season shooting 35 percent.
Utah State is shooting 45 percent from the field, as the opposition shoots 44 percent. The Aggies are grabbing 35.1 rebounds per game and average 13.2 turnovers per night.
Each Team’s Leaders
The Pokes are led in scoring by junior guard Justin James at 17.6 points per game for sixth in the MW. He is shooting 74 percent from the line going 82-of-110 this season. James is second on the Pokes grabbing 6.0 rebounds per game. Senior forward Hayden Dalton pours in 17.1 points per night for eighth in the conference and leads the team in rebounds at 8.3, which ranks fifth in the league.
Senior forward Alan Herndon adds 12.4 points per game and is 18 points away from 1,000 in his career. He is the MW’s active leader in career blocks with 153. He ranks No. 29 in the nation with 2.3 blocks per game. Senior guard Louis Adams adds 9.8 points per game off the UW bench this season.
Utah State is led in scoring by sophomore Sam Merrill at 15.4 points per game. He has hit a team-best 48 three pointers this season for seventh in the MW. He leads the team with 71 assists this season. Fellow sophomore Koby McEwen adds 14.1 points per game and is second on the team grabbing 4.3 rebound per game. Dwayne Brown Jr. leads the team grabbing 5.2 rebounds per game.
About the Series
The Cowboys are 49-27 all-time against the Aggies including 16-19 in Logan. The Pokes and Aggies split the season series last season with each team winning contests on their home floors.
Up Next
Wyoming returns to action on Wednesday evening for a 9 p.m. tip against MW leader Nevada in a contest on ESPNU.
