LARAMIE, Wyo. --- Junior guard Derick Flowers tied his career high with nine points in the final 10 minutes of the game, but UC Irvine fell to Wyoming, 58-48, in Laramie, Wyo., Tuesday night.
Wyoming senior guard JayDee Luster scored 12 of his career-high 18 points in the second half and Luke Martinez added 13 for the Cowboys (10-1), who broke away from a close game in the final three minutes with a 10-4 run. Wyoming is 9-0 at home this season.
Junior center Adam Folker had eight points and six rebounds while junior forward Michael Wilder added six points, a game-high 10 rebounds, and four assists and two steals for the 'Eaters (2-7), who saw their two-game winning streak end. Freshman center Will Davis II had six points and six rebounds, and junior guard Daman Starring also scored six points and had a pair of steals.
Wyoming led 15-6 on a layup from Adam Waddell with 8:30 left in the first half before UCI took its only lead of the game at 18-17 lead on a layup by Folker at the 1:40 mark. A three from Francisco Cruz with 1:29 left help propel the Cowboys to a 22-19 halftime lead.
Wyoming built a 10-point lead at 37-27 on a jumper by Cruz with 11:51 left in the game but UCI closed to within 39-37 on a three-point play from Flowers with 7:46 remaining.
A three from Luster put the Cowboys up 48-42 with 4:12 left but Davis scored inside to pull UCI within 48-44 at the 3:45 mark.
A three by Leonard Washington as the shot clock was expiring with 3:07 remaining sparked Wyoming to nine unanswered points over the next 3:10 to preserve the win for the Cowboys, who are holding their opponents under 50 points per game this season.
UCI outrebounded the Cowboys, 36-27, but the Anteaters committed 19 turnovers to Wyoming's 14. UCI shot 37.7 percent from the field and Wyoming 45.7 percent, including 57.9 percent in the second half.
"We took the game down to the wire against a good Wyoming team, but their defense is outstanding and they hit a couple of threes down the stretch to extend the lead," UCI head coach Russell Turner said.
"We did a good job with our game plan, but we haven't fully established an offensive identity with a young team yet."
UCI faces LSU Thursday night in Baton Rouge, La.
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