SAN JOSE, Calif.- San Jose State University guard Noah Baumann led all players with 27 points, but balanced scoring and free throw shooting in the final 1:31 propelled Wyoming to an 81-71 win in a Mountain West men's basketball game.
Baumann had 20 of his points in the first half on 7-of-10 shooting including 6-of-9 from three-point territory. He made his seventh three-point basket of the game on his first shot of the second half, but missed his last six shots to go 8-for-17 from the field overall and 7-of-14 from three-point range.
Wyoming (7-23, 3-14 Mountain West) was led in scoring by Justin James, the conference scoring leader, with 25 points and a game-high 11 rebounds, and Jake Hendricks with 20. A.J. Banks, with 13, and T.J. Taylor with 10 also scored in double-figures for the Cowboys.
San Jose State (4-25, 1-16 Mountain West) trailed 17-3 early, but behind Baumann's hot shooting, took its first lead of the contest, 32-31, with 4:21 in the first half on a Craig LeCesne lay-in. The lead changed hands two more times before a James three-point basket with 53.6 seconds before halftime gave a Wyoming a 39-37 lead which it would not relinquish the rest of the game.
The Spartans trailed by as many as 10 early in the second half, but closed to within one point twice in the final six minutes of the game before Wyoming took control the rest of the way. Hendricks, who made six three-pointers for the second game in a row, nailed his last two from the left corner to give Wyoming a 71-65 lead. From there, Wyoming made 10-of-12 from the free throw line in the final 1:48.
The Cowboys had converted just 6-of-17 from the line before finding their stroke at the end.
Forward Michael Steadman was San Jose State's other double-figure scorer with 12 points. He also pulled down 10 rebounds.
Baumann wasn't the only Spartan unable to find the basket in the second half. After shooting 50 percent from the field for the first 20 minutes, San Jose State was 10-of-37 for the second half and 36.5 percent for the game.
The Spartans close out the regular season at Fresno State, Saturday, March 9, at 4:00 p.m.
