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Wyoming upsets Boise State in MWC semis

Mar 14, 2015 - 5:55 AM Las Vegas, NV (SportsNetwork.com) - Wyoming is on the brink of sneaking into the NCAA Tournament as the Cowboys knocked off No. 25 Boise State in overtime 71-66 in the semifinals of the Mountain West Conference Tournament.

Josh Adams poured in a game-high 27 points and Larry Nance Jr. added 20 for the fourth-seeded Cowboys (24-9), who advanced to take on San Diego State in Saturday's final.

Derrick Marks and Nick Duncan contributed 17 and 11 points, respectively, for the MWC regular-season champion Broncos.

Wyoming won the lone regular season meeting against Boise State on Jan. 10, and the Broncos bounced back with a 15-1 stretch heading into Friday's rematch.

That type of dominance in a competitive conference seemingly has Boise State (25-8) as a lock for an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament, but its fate is in the hands of the selection committee.

"It's kind of a strange feeling not to have the fate in your hands anymore," Boise State's Robert Heyer said. "We built a resume this season. We're turning that in right now. Unfortunately we would have liked to have gotten an automatic bid."

Wyoming missed three free throws after going in front 55-50 with 2 1/2 minutes remaining in regulation, and a Heyer 3-pointer and two Igor Hadziomerovic tied things heading into the final minute.

After Adams made two free throws with 29.6 seconds left, James Webb III tipped in a Marks miss for a 57-57 game, giving the Cowboys one final shot at the end of regulation.

Adams rose from just inside the arc on the right side and was short at the buzzer, but Wyoming recovered by controlling the entire extra session.

Derek Cooke Jr.'s three-point play broke a 60-60 tie, and Jason McManamen banked in a deep 3-pointer for a 66-62 lead inside the final minute.

"I did not call bank, but I heard a couple guys on the bench call bank after I shot it," joked McManamen. "That counts."

Marks, the MWC Player of the Year, turned it over on Boise State's next possession, and the Cowboys finished off their upset at the foul line.

Boise State made seven 3-pointers in the first half and was on top 38-26 before Wyoming rattled off 10 consecutive points before the break.

Adams scored seven of his 20 first-half points over the final two minutes, including a thunderous dunk and a three-point play in the final seconds.

The Cowboys took their first lead at 42-41 on a Nance dunk just over four minutes into the second half, and they stayed in front until a late drought.

Game Notes

Wyoming has not reached the NCAA Tournament since 2002 ... Boise State shot 3- of-14 (21.4 percent) from 3-point range after halftime ... Wyoming shot 46 percent from the field.