Behind the numbers

LARAMIE — In this new series we will examine a few numbers that stand out from the game we just witnessed. That was a 54-40 opening-night victory over Idaho State Tuesday night at the Arena-Auditorium.

Sometimes they won’t be fun ones. Other times, you will be downright giddy.

So, let’s get started

32
Wyoming's redshirt sophomore, Hunter Maldonado, netted a career-high 32 points in the win. He scored just four in the first half and exploded for 28 in the second.

1949-50
The Cowboys haven't held a team to 40 points or less since they faced Montana State way back then. Wyoming took down the Bobcats, 42-39. The last time the Cowboys held a team under 50 points was 46 scored by San Jose State in 2019.

18
Allen Edwards' defense got started early Tuesday, holding Idaho State to just 18 points in the first half. That was the fewest in his four seasons in Laramie.

115
That's how many seasons the Wyoming Cowboys have been playing basketball. They are 78-37 all-time in season openers. Wyoming is 92-23 in home-opening games.

1
Greg Milton III earned his first start at the guard spot in his initial game in a Pokes uniform. He split time with AJ Banks.

30-plus
The last Cowboys to put up that many points in an opener was a guy named Hayden Dalton all the way back in 2017. He scored 30 in a 74-65 win over Chattanooga.

6
Hunter Thompson pulled down a career-best six rebounds in the win over the Bengals. He also scored the first four points of the game, one coming on a two-handed jam.

7
That was the Pokes seventh win over Idaho State inside the Arena-Auditorium. All-time, Wyoming is 7-1 against the Bengals in Laramie. The series is now 14-7 overall.

14
Wyoming has now won 14 of its last 16 openers in Laramie.

3,010
That was the attendance at Wyoming's opener Tuesday night.

• This week’s Behind the Numbers feature is brought to you by AARP Wyoming, and speaking of numbers, The U.S. Census Bureau is currently recruiting for 500,000 temporary  2020 Census Jobs across the country. Thousands will be hired to support their communities and get paid while doing it. Apply online at 2020census.gov/jobs