The Nevada Wolf Pack men's basketball team is turning into road kill this season.
The Wolf Pack fell to 2-8 away from home with a lifeless 68-48 loss to the Wyoming Cowboys at the Arena-Auditorium in Laramie, Wyo., on Wednesday night. The Pack fell to 12-12 overall and 3-7 in the Mountain West with the loss and still has yet to win as many as two games in a row in 2013.
The loss also dropped the Pack to 1-4 on the road in conference play.
The Pack is now 1-9 in its all-time series with Wyoming, losing both games to the Cowboys this season. The only Pack victory in its 100-year basketball history against Wyoming came on Jan. 5, 1938.
The Wolf Pack, which scored exactly 48 points in both of its losses to Wyoming (the first was 59-48 on Jan. 12 in Reno) this year, simply didn't put up much of a fight in the 10th meeting between the two schools.
The Wolf Pack had just two brief leads, 3-2 after a Deonte Burton free throw three minutes into the game and 5-4 after a Malik Story dunk five minutes into the game. A 3-pointer by Kevin Panzer pulled the Pack into a 15-15 with 8:48 to go in the first half.
Wyoming went up 18-15 on a 3-pointer by Nathan Sobey with 6:39 left in the first half and led the rest of the game.
The Cowboys, now 17-7 overall and 3-7 in the Mountain West, took control of the game after Panzer's 3-pointer. The Wolf Pack went scoreless over the next 5:46 as Wyoming went on a 9-0 run to take a 27-15 lead. The Wolf Pack was 0-for-4 with four turnovers during its scoring drought.
The Pack scored just four points over the final 8:48 of the first half after Panzer's game-tying trey as Wyoming led 29-19 at the break.
Things didn't get much better for the Pack in the second half.
The Wolf Pack didn't score for the first 2:36 after halftime as Wyoming jumped on top 35-19. The Pack only cut Wyoming's lead under 10 points just twice the rest of the way. Burton hit a 3-pointer to pull the Pack within 43-36 with 11:22 left and the junior point guard had a lay-up to cut Wyoming's advantage to 45-38 with 9:45 left.
The Cowboys put the game away with a 12-0 run in the second half, taking a 57-38 lead with 7:17 left after a 3-pointer by Derrious Gilmore.
Like last month at Lawlor Events Center, the Pack had no answer for Wyoming's Leonard Washington. The physical 6-foot-7, 230-pound forward dominated the game, scoring 16 points with 12 rebounds, five steals and three blocks. In Wyoming's 11-point win over the Pack on Jan. 12, Washington had 16 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and four blocks.
The Cowboys were boosted by the presence of 6-8 forward Larry Nance. Nance, who missed the Cowboys' 68-61 loss at Boise State last Saturday, returned to action against the Pack and had seven points and eight rebounds in 28 minutes. He had nine points and eight boards against the Pack in January.
Gilmore finished with 15 points and five assists, which was one more assist than the entire Pack team.
The Wolf Pack, which turned the ball over 16 times, was led by Burton's 13 points. The point guard, though, had just two assists in 37 minutes. Malik Story had 11 points and three steals. Panzer finished with 10 points.
The Pack was out-rebounded 27-23. The 6-foot-9 Panzer had two rebounds in 23 minutes and 6-9 Ali Fall had no rebounds in 14 minutes. Story and Burton combined for two rebounds (both by Story) in 63 minutes.
Jerry Evans led the Pack with six boards but only scored two points in 26 minutes. Cole Huff had three rebounds and no points in 16 minutes.
The Pack went to the free throw line just eight times, making five. The Pack has now shot just 14 free throws combined in its last two road games. They had just six at New Mexico on Feb. 2.
Wyoming was 13-of-20 from the free throw line The officials called 14 fouls on the Pack and 10 on the Cowboys.
The Wolf Pack now gets the next five days off before hosting Fresno State at Lawlor Events Center on Feb. 19.
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