Cowboys get defensive in 80-63 exhibition win over College of Idaho

LARAMIE, Wyo. (October 25, 2024) – The Wyoming Cowboys held the College of Idaho to a 35 percent margin with an 80-63 win in an exhibition contest Friday night at the Arena-Auditorium in Laramie. In the debut of the Sundance Wicks era of Wyoming basketball, the Pokes shot 58 percent from the field and made 12 three-pointers.

“We're trying to get guys to play less loosely and care more about the value of the basketball possession because at the end of the day it's always a one-possession game,” UW head coach Sundance Wicks said. “We still have a lot of work to do, but what I love is that our guys stepped up tonight and showed some resiliency.”

The competition celebrated both teams' partnership with the Jae Foundation. The Jae Foundation is a leading nonprofit organization focused on raising mental health awareness and suicide prevention. Established in memory of Jae Bob Bing, the Jae Foundation focuses on educating communities in Wyoming and Idaho about mental health and suicide prevention, particularly among young people.

Wyoming was led by Touko Tainamo He was 7 of 11 from the field with 18 points and five rebounds. Dontaie Allen added 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting from behind the arc. Kobe Newton added 12 points on 4 of 5 from behind the arc. About Magassa added nine rebounds to lead the team. Cole Henry added nine points, six rebounds and four assists.

The Cowboys shot 12 of 21 from behind the arc in the game, shooting 57 percent. Wyoming also dominated the glass in the contest, 47-26.

The Coyotes controlled the action early, but an 8-0 run by the Pokes ensured UW held the College of Idaho scoreless for over four minutes. Allen fueled the run with two three-pointers and Oleg Koyenets added a layup.

The Cowboys again held College of Idaho scoreless for more than two minutes to take a 21-16 lead, but the Pokes had trouble turning the ball over five times. The Pokes ended the first half with an 11-0 run and took a 38-24 lead at the break. Wyoming held the Yotes scoreless in the final four and a half minutes of the half, with Newton fueling the run with two 3-pointers.

The Coyotes cut Wyoming's lead to just six points in the opening minutes of the second half, but Tainamo extended the lead to 50-40 with 14 minutes to play, reaching double figures. Jordan Nesbitt gave Wyoming a 15-point lead at 63-48 with eight minutes left.

The Cowboys held the College of Idaho scoreless for four and a half minutes, but the Coyotes made it a 63-52 game with back-to-back shots with just under five minutes left. Obi Agbim added a three-pointer and he found Allen for another for a 69-52 game.

The Pokes held the lead and took the 80-63 win as 13 different players played for the Cowboys.

The Coyotes were led by Alex Germer with 13 points on the night.

Wyoming officially opens the season on Monday, November 4th against Concordia, St. Paul. It's part of the doubleheader that pits the Cowgirls against Colorado. The game for the Cowboys begins at 7:30 p.m.

About Jae Foundation
The Jae Foundation is a leading nonprofit organization focused on raising mental health awareness and suicide prevention. Established in memory of Jae Bob Bing, the Jae Foundation focuses on educating communities in Wyoming and Idaho about mental health and suicide prevention, particularly among young people. A key part of their approach is donating cowboy boots that serve as conversation starters about real-world issues. Wyoming Athletics and student-athletes are proud to be ambassadors for the Jae Foundation.



The power of Jae Boots
Some call them cowboy boots, others call them magic boots – here at the Foundation we call them Jae boots. The foundation was created with the idea that if Jae's friend Jason had simply slowed down and bought his buddy Jae a pair of cowboy boots (something Jae loved very much), there would have been a real conversation about mental health, depression, suicide and two commitments would have been received: It could have been different.


In a world full of technology and distractions, the idea was simple. What if we took an hour to slow down and tell Jae's story, give someone a pair of cowboy boots, and check in and see how they're REALLY doing. Love her and make some commitments. Once someone gets their Jae Boots, they serve as a reminder to pay attention to those around us, be brave enough to have conversations about mental health, and even give us the strength to put our boots on and seek help when needed to ask.


Creating Boot Check Moments is the reason the Foundation exists, and Boot is the ultimate tool for creating these moments. We've heard and seen countless stories about how something so simple can do such amazing things. Some call this simple thing a cowboy boot, others call it a magic boot – here at the Foundation we call it a Jae Boot.