Wayne pulled within four twice in the fourth quarter by increasing its defensive pressure up and down the floor. After getting to 50-46 with 4:23 left, the lid shut on the basket for the Warriors as they failed to score during a 10-0 Wyoming run into the final minute.
“We continued to shoot threes, and we didn’t get enough twos,” Martindale said. “I think when you’re not really driving it or being aggressive that way, it takes a toll on you a little bit and today just wasn’t our best day. We’ve got to move forward and try to figure out how to be better for it.”
Credit: Steven Wright
Wayne got a pair of three-pointers by senior Kaden Post and sophomore Dontay Chivers in the early moments of the game to jump out to a quick 6-0 advantage. The Warriors led by three after the first quarter, but the effects of Wyoming’s 1-3-1 zone defense shook Wayne’s offensive confidence.
“We really wanted to keep [Chivers] out of the paint,” Wyoming head coach Matt Rooks said. “I think he’s really talented and it the defense kept him timid and out of the paint and forced him to shoot a lot of jump shots, which is what we wanted.”
Wyoming gained a 27-23 lead by halftime, but the opening of the third quarter is where they left their mark on the win. A 14-2 run with numerous easy looks around the basket built a big lead that Wayne didn’t have the consistent to catch up from.
Credit: Steven Wright
Credit: Steven Wright
“It was definitely in the second quarter our energy changed. We knew they were going to run some zone and I feel we just didn’t do a good enough job of executing. We knew what we wanted to run and we just didn’t do a good enough job getting our guys in the right spots and that starts with me and the staff.”
Kellen Wiley was a thorn Wayne couldn’t stop from poking them whenever a basket was needed. He scored a game-high 22 points and shot 7-for-10 from inside the arc. Devin Evans added 15 for the Cowboys.
Wayne was led by 12 points from Isaiah Thompson and Post, respectively. The Warriors hit 10 3s as a team and their total attempts from the three-point line nearly doubled the amount from two.
Credit: Steven Wright
Credit: Steven Wright
Wyoming won the rebounding battle 33-17 and outscored Wayne 20-4 in the paint while also shooting above 60 percent from the floor in both halves.
“It just always falls back on me, and I’m going to do everything I can in my power to make sure that we’re better next time we step out on the floor,” Martindale said. “We’ve just go to be more consistent through four quarters and when we start doing that we’re going to see better results.”
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