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Sophomore guard Prentiss Nixon hit the game-winning 3-pointer with 3.6 seconds left on the clock to give the Colorado State Rams and 7,883 fans a 78-76 victory over the Wyoming Cowboys, Feb. 28. The Rams’ seventh straight win moves them to 21-9 and 13-4 in league play, while the Cowboys fell to 17-13 and 7-10 in Mountain West.
Neither team could seem to miss in the first stanza, as the Rams and Cowboys shot 63 percent (20-of-32) and 59 percent (16-of-27), respectively. A three pointer by sophomore guard Prentiss Nixon to end the half gave him 18 points in the period and sent the Rams to the locker room with a 48-41 lead.
The Rams maintained a comfortable lead throughout the majority of the second half, before a ferocious Wyoming comeback, capped off by a three-point basket from Justin James with 17 seconds remaining, resulting in the Rams trailing by two. With senior guard Gian Clavell on the bench after fouling out with just over a minute to play, Nixon took the game into his hands on the Rams’ final possession and hit the dagger three-pointer with 3.6 seconds left on the clock.
Colorado State had an efficient night offensively, shooting an impressive 51.7 percent (30-of-58) for the game including 33.3 percent (7-of-21) from deep. The Rams committed just six turnovers on the night, and pulled down seven offensive rebounds, led by redshirt freshman Nico Carvacho’s four. Wyoming shot well too, hitting 51.9 percent (28-of-54) from the floor, including 40.0 percent (12-of-30) from the three-point line.
Senior forward Emmanuel Omogbo recorded his 13th double-double in conference play to become the Mountain West’s all-time leader in the category. His 13-point, 12-rebound performance moved him ahead of Fresno State Bulldog turned San Antonio Spurs superstar Kawhi Leonard (San Diego State) and Ryan Watkins (Boise State) for sole possession.
Nixon led the Rams with 23 points, while Clavell and Carvacho rounded out the Rams’ double-digit scorers with 17 and 10 points, respectively. Carvacho’s scoring, paired with 10 rebounds, gave him his second career double-double. Sophomore guard Justin James from Wyoming was the game’s leading scorer with 24 points.