Cowboys Face Miners Tonight in Sun Bowl Invitational Championship
* University of Wyoming press release
EL PASO, Texas – The Wyoming Cowboys will faceoff against the UTEP Miners in the championship game of the 2023 Weststar Dan Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational on Thursday at 7 p.m. It is the 67th meeting between the two schools and the first since 2018.
Fans can listen to the contest, as well as follow stats on GoWyo.com. The game will be streamed on the Sun Bowl Association YouTube Channel and will be broadcast live on radio over the 26 affiliate stations of the Cowboy Sports Network, as Keith Kelley on the call and Kevin McKinney on color.
Kot in the 20’s: Akuel Kot poured in 22 points against South Dakota State. He added 24 points against Weber State for back-to-back games with 20 or more points. He has scored 20 or more points in four games this season. He is averaging 16.5 points per game and has 1,894 points and is six away from 1,900.
Walters Makes Debut: Forward Mason Walters made his debut on Wednesday. He added 12 points forth Cowboys in 26 minutes. He was named the NAIA National Player of the Year last season.
From Behind The Arc: The Pokes shot 50 percent from behind the arc against South Dakota State. It marked the fourth time in the last five games that Wyoming has shot 50 percent or better from behind the arc. Wyoming leads the nation in three-point field goal percentage at 43.4 percent.
Dominating The Glass: The Pokes dominated the glass against South Dakota State. The Pokes outrebounded the Jackrabbits 40-24 and were +16. It was the largest differential for the Pokes this season and Wyoming has been +10 on the glass in four games this season.
Two in the 20’s: The Cowboys has two players score in the 20’s against Weber State. Akuel Kot scored 24 points and fellow guard Sam Griffin added 22 points. It marks the third time this season, Wyoming has see that duo do that in a game. They did so against against Northern New Mexico and Furman.
600 Club: Guard Sam Girffin went over 600 career made field goals against Weber State. He now has 605 in his college career. Kot got to 600 against South Dakota State. he now has 605 in his career with the Cowboys.
Kot Has Best Game as Cowboy: Guard Akuel Kot recorded a season-high 24 points against Weber State. It marked the third game this season that he has 20 or more points. He recorded a season-high 10 field goals in the contest against the Wildcats.
DeWeese Makes Return to El Paso: Associate head coach Ken DeWeese will make his return to UTEP on Wednesday, He was an assistant coach for the Miners prior to joining Jeff Linder at Northern Colorado.
Back to Texas: A trio of Cowboys will make their return to the Lone Star State on Wednesday. Guard Brendan Wenzel is a native of San Antonio. Forward Caden Powell played his high school ball in Waco and guard Akuel Kot is a native of Amarillo. Associate head coach Ken DeWeese is a native of Texas and graduate of Mary-Hardin Baylor. Head coach Jeff Linder spent time in Texas at Midland Junior College.
From deep: The Cowboys have been solid from the arc all season. Wyoming is shooting 43.3 percent from deep on the year, which ranks first in the nation. Wyoming has shot 40 percent or better from behind the arc in seven games this season and 50 percent five times
Double-Digit Comeback: The Cowboys recorded a comeback win over SFA. The Pokes were down by 10 points in the game and it was the largest comeback since rally back from 10 points against Utah State on Feb. 8, 2022 in Laramie.