Nance, Wyoming one victory from NCAA Tournament
A month ago, when senior forward Larry Nance Jr. was sidelined with a minor case of mononucleosis, Wyoming was left to limp along a tightrope in high winds. Its once-promising season was slipping away.
But Nance and the Cowboys are now one step from the NCAA Tournament.
Josh Adams scored 27 points and Nance had 20 as fourth-seeded Wyoming upset No. 1 seed Boise State 71-66 in overtime in a Mountain West tournament semifinal Friday night at the Thomas & Mack Center.
“Not many people had faith we could do anything here,” Adams said. “Now we’re winding up in the championship game.”
The Cowboys (24-9) will face second-seeded San Diego State (26-7) for the tournament title at 3 p.m today. The Aztecs advanced by beating third-seeded Colorado State 56-43.
Winston Shepard and Aqeel Quinn each scored 16 points for San Diego State, and Dwayne Polee II added 12 points. Quinn was the hero with a 21-point performance in a quarterfinal victory over UNLV on Thursday.
The Rams (27-6) were lost offensively without leading scorer J.J. Avila, a senior forward who missed the game with an ankle injury.
Stanton Kidd had 10 points and was the only double-figure scorer for Colorado State, which shot 32.1 percent from the field.
The Aztecs, Broncos and Rams are in strong positions to receive at-large NCAA Tournament bids. Wyoming likely needs a win today to earn the automatic bid or get relegated to the National Invitation Tournament.
Adams poured in 20 points in the first half to keep the Cowboys from being counted out. The Broncos led 38-26 before Wyoming responded with the last 10 points of the half, with Adams scoring seven and Nance three.
Two free throws by Adams put the Cowboys on top 57-55 with 27 seconds to go. A putback by James Webb III with eight seconds left helped Boise State force overtime, and that’s where an unlikely hero emerged.
With the shot clock winding down, Jason McManamen banked in a 3-pointer from the top to put Wyoming up 66-62.
“I did not call bank, but I heard a couple guys on the bench call bank after I shot it,” said McManamen, who finished with six points on two 3s. “That counts.”
Senior guard Derrick Marks, the conference Player of the Year, scored 17 points to lead the Broncos (25-8).
Marks was off for the second day in a row, however, shooting 6-for-21, including 2-for-8 on 3s, while committing four turnovers.
“First of all, Marks is a heck of a player,” Adams said. “It takes it toll when you try to stop him. It was definitely a challenge for me and this team.”
Nick Duncan finished with 11 points, and Webb totaled nine points and 12 rebounds for Boise State, which swept two games from San Diego State this season to earn the top seed.
“You tell me we’re not a tournament team, I don’t buy it,” Broncos coach Leon Rice said. “I think we’ve got a great resume.
“Wyoming was battling because they know what’s at stake. They have got to win this tournament, so they played like it. They got a bunch of seniors who want to keep playing.”
Nance, a first team All-Mountain West pick, shot 8-for-17 and played 44 minutes.
“These conference games are always a blast,” Nance said. “We have five seniors. It was back and forth. It’s just the resiliency.”
He’s one step from realizing his NCAA Tournament goal, something that seemed out of reach a few weeks ago.
“This an opportunity that they want to seize,” Wyoming coach Larry Shyatt said. “I don’t think these guys are ready to settle for anything less than a championship. We’ll give it our best shot.”
Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. Follow him on Twitter: @mattyoumans247.