ERIC SCHMOLDT Star-Tribune staff writer | Posted: Sunday, March 2, 2008 12:00 am
LARAMIE - Utah coach Jim Boylen and his Utes might not agree, but for Joseph Taylor, his final home game as a Wyoming Cowboy couldn't have been scripted any better.
The oft-flashy senior opened the game Saturday with a high-flying windmill slam and finished it off with an alley-oop slam dunk as UW took down Utah 72-64 in front of 5,809 at the Arena-Auditorium.
It was an ideal Senior Day for the Cowboys' three seniors.
"We went out with a win, and that's the most important thing," UW senior guard Brad Jones said. "I'm going to really miss playing in the Double-A.
"There's been some ups and downs, but I'm just glad to get out with the win."
Jones led the way with 20 points, Taylor pitched in 12 and six rebounds, while junior Brandon Ewing supplied two clutch shots as the Pokes swept the Utes for the first time since the 2001-02 season.
But the real difference came at the free-throw line, where UW knocked down 26 of 27 attempts and Utah converted just half of its 10 tries.
"We wanted to have good shots, high-percentage looks and looks that, if they don't go in, we have a chance to get to the free-throw line," UW coach Heath Schroyer said. "For us to be able to be successful, we need to get there as close to 30 times as we can."
The Cowboys came up three short of Schroyer's goal, but couldn't miss when they got there, especially in the second half when they went 17-for-17.
Boylen said the free throws, along with Ewing stepping up late, decided the game.
With UW leading 59-55, Ewing knocked down a 3-pointer and a pull-up jumper on back-to-back possessions that all but put the game away.
"The last five minutes, we just didn't have the energy, it seemed like, or the toughness to stay in front of them," Boylen said. "Ewing makes two plays because he can make plays.
"He makes the 3 and the jumper and I thought those two plays were the difference in the game."
UW junior Tyson Johnson came up big late as well, scoring all 12 of his points in the second half to give the Pokes four players in double figures.
Utah center Luke Nevill scored a game-high 22 points as, for the second time this year, the Cowboys played him one-on-one and stopped his supporting cast.
Much of that was lost after the game, however, after the final play sparked some controversy.
The crowd-pleasing alley-oop was made as time expired and didn't sit well with Boylen.
As he walked to center court to shake hands with Schroyer, the two exchanged harsh words emphatically.
Schroyer said afterwards that it wasn't as big a deal as some may make it out to be.
Either way, nothing was going to take the smile off Taylor's face as he and Jones shared one final Double-A moment.
"It's the way I pictured it," Taylor said.
Contact sports reporter Eric Schmoldt at (307) 266-0578 or eric.schmoldt@trib.com.
COWBOYS TRACKER
SATURDAY: Wyoming 72, Utah 64.
RECORDS: Cowboys (12-16, 5-10 Mountain West Conference); Utes (15-12, 6-8 MWC).
NOTABLE: The Pokes swept the season series with the Utes for the first time since the 2001-02 season on Senior Night at the Arena-Auditorium.
HE SAID IT: "We went out with a win, and that's the most important thing." -UW senior Brad Jones
UP NEXT: Wyoming closes out its regular season at BYU on Wednesday at 8 p.m. on the mtn.