LARAMIE, Wyoming – Idaho State Men's Basketball fell 62-93 to Wyoming on Friday evening at the Arena-Auditorium in Laramie, Wyoming, as Joven Dulay and MaCarhy Morris combined for 33 points and Kenyon DeMuynck turned in a strong defensive performance with five blocks.
Morris paced the Bengals with 17 points, while Dulay provided a spark off the bench with 16 points. DeMuynck anchored the defensive effort, recording five of Idaho State's 10 blocks on the night. The Bengals scored 42 points in the second half after being held to 20 in the opening 20 minutes.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Wyoming opened the game with a 4-0 lead before Eyal Harel put the Bengals on the board with a layup with the team's first bucket at the 18:03 mark. Morris followed with a basket to bring Idaho State within two, 6-4, but the Cowboys responded with a run to build a 14-4 advantage with 11:30 remaining in the first half.
Morris kept the Bengals within reach with a pair of baskets, and Bryce Lowenbach added a layup at 6:46 to make it 18-9. Dulay knocked down a three-pointer at 3:31, and Morris converted two free throws to bring Idaho State back within 20, at 33-16.
Wyoming closed the half with a strong finish, extending its lead to 44-20 at the break.
The Cowboys continued their momentum to start the second half, scoring the first nine points to push their advantage to 53-20. Morris answered with consecutive baskets, and Quin Patterson connected from beyond the arc to make it 58-30 with 14:54 remaining.
Idaho State found more offensive rhythm as the half progressed. Birley hit a three-pointer at 12:39, and the Bengals added baskets from Birley and Dulay to cut the deficit to 30, 67-37. Dulay connected from three at 9:24, then added free throws and another basket as Idaho State continued to battle.
Morris continued to lead the Bengals offensively, finishing with a team-high 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting and a perfect 5-of-5 from the free-throw line. Dulay added 16 points, including three three-pointers, while DeMuynck made his presence felt defensively with five blocks.
Malik Johnson provided a spark down the stretch, scoring seven points in the second half, including a pair of dunks. Dulay added another three-pointer in the closing minutes, and Aden Goffe capped the scoring with a three-pointer with 10 seconds remaining. Wyoming held on for the 93-62 victory.
PLAYER STATS
Morris led Idaho State with 17 points, shooting 6-of-13 from the field and a perfect 5-of-5 at the free-throw line. He also added two assists and one rebound. Dulay finished with 16 points off the bench, going 4-of-7 from the field, 3-of-5 from three-point range and 5-of-7 at the free-throw line.
Harel scored three points and recorded one rebound and one steal. Malachi Johnson added two points and one rebound, while DeMuynck finished with five blocks, one rebound and one assist. Amoran pulled down three rebounds.
And off the bench for the Bengals, Malik Johnson scored seven points with four rebounds and three blocks. Birley added five points, two rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal. Goffe scored four points and dished out an assist, while Patterson finished with three points and one rebound. Palmer recorded two points, three rebounds, three assists and one steal. Lowenbach added two points and one block, while Garner finished with one point, three rebounds and one steal. Virgil also saw action.
TEAM STATS
Idaho State shot 31.0 percent from the field (18-of-58), 30.0 percent from three-point range (6-of-20), and 74.1 percent from the free-throw line (20-of-27). The Bengals finished with 27 rebounds, nine assists, four steals, 10 blocks and 14 turnovers.
Wyoming shot 50.0 percent from the field (32-of-64), 34.8 percent from three-point range (8-of-23) and 75.0 percent from the free-throw line (21-of-28). The Cowboys outrebounded Idaho State 50-27 and recorded 20 assists, 11 steals, seven blocks and 14 turnovers.
Wyoming held a 46-22 advantage in points in the paint and scored 25 points off turnovers. Idaho State received 40 points from its bench, while Wyoming's reserves contributed 43. The Bengals' 10 blocks were led by DeMuynck's five.
UP NEXT
Idaho State caps off the weekend with a Sunday matinee at the Air Force Academy, taking on the Fightin' Falcons at 1:00 P.M. on Sunday, Nov. 8th. Idaho State comes in searching for their first win of the season following their loss to the Cowboys on Friday night in Laramie.
