Cowboys ‘Shut The Club Down,’ Stun GCU, 70-65

PHOENIX, Ariz., -- Sundance Wicks said earlier in the week he was curious to see how much growth his young roster has made since its Mountain West opener.

You might recall, that was a 12-point setback in Laramie last December that was much more lopsided than the final score would indicate.

The verdict?

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Wyoming waltzed into a blackout inside a raucous Global Credit Union Arena and pulled off the biggest conference upset of the season with a 70-65 stunner, delivering a major blow to Grand Canyon's at-large hopes with the NCAA Tournament just around the corner.

"Pokes are partying tonight in Scottsdale, baby," Wyoming's second-year head coach said on his postgame show after this signature win. "We shut the club down on a Saturday night."

That was just the second true road win of the year for the Cowboys. The Lopes, who claimed a road victory inside Viejas Arena four nights ago, suffered their third home loss, falling to 17-9 overall and 10-5 in league play.

No Gavin Gores. No Matija Belic. No Jared Harris.

No problem.

Freshman Simm-Marten Saadi netted 13 points off the bench on 5-of-9 shooting and Leland Walker added that same amount, including draining a 15-foot jumper with 1:16 remaining to give the feisty visitors a 61-55 advantage.

The senior point guard also splashed a pair of crucial free throws with 2.1 seconds remaining to put this one on ice and silence a capacity crowd of 7,315.

Again playing against a physically superior opponent, Wicks' small-ball approach paid off in all the toughness categories, winning the rebound battle, 38-36. The Cowboys also finished with a 12-10 advantage on the offensive glass, leading to six second-chance points.

Wyoming forced 15 turnovers and its shifty guards were aggressive enough in the paint to attempt 19 shots from the stripe, matching GCU.

The game plan, which was orchestrated by assistant Nic Reynolds, was to protect the paint and let the Lopes take shots from deep. Aside from two triples in the final minute of play, courtesy of former Wyoming commit Makaih Williams, who Saturday netted his 1,000th-career point and finished with a game-high 29 points, the damage was limited to just 5-of-18.

"Toughness reigns supreme on his team right now," Wicks said, pointing to an eight-rebound performance from both Abou Magassa and Khaden Bennett. "... This was a complete team effort, but that's who we are."

Freshman Naz Meyer capped his night with 11 points and Uriyah Rojas chipped in with nine, connecting on a triple early in the second half and hitting all four of his attempts from the free-throw line.

Saadi and Rojas were part of a Wyoming bench that outscored GCU's by a whopping margin of 34-2. Adam Harakow drilled two threes and finished with seven points and Magassa added five.

"I told ya'll, he's coming," Wicks joked, referring to Saadi. "I told you the Estonian Energizer Bunny was coming."

The 6-foot-9 rookie averaged just 2.5 points and outing entering this tilt in Phoenix. His best offensive output to this point was a pair of eight-point nights in wins over Portland and Dartmouth.

Wicks has been saying for weeks that the big man will soon find his stroke and is capable of hitting "five or six threes" in a game. While he didn't quite reach that, his swish from distance with 4:11 on the clock helped Wyoming regain a late 56-55 lead.

"I was 0-for-3 on my first three shots, but my teammates and my coach just told me to keep shooting," Saadi said on the postgame show. "That's what I do, and my teammates trusted me."

Saadi, who admitted the Cowboys simply weren't tough enough or ready for the physicality of the league in the first meeting with the Lopes, said that's all now in the past.

This team now has belief, he added.

And maybe a little confidence, too.

"It was an amazing atmosphere," he said. "You know, students having fun, literally partying. But it feels better when you see that the party's over."

The Cowboys, who have now won two stright, are now 6-10 in conference action and 15-12 overall. Up next, a trip to Boise State to take on a Broncos team that currently sits eighth in the standings. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. and the game will be streamed on the Mountain West Network.

"Pokes are trying to get hot right now," Wicks said. "I told you these teams are falling apart and teams are worried about other things. The Pokes aren't worried about that. Pokes are worried about playing for each other. That's a happy locker room back there"