The Wyoming Cowboys nearly blew an 18-point halftime lead, but survived for a 66-65 win over UNLV in Laramie Wednesday night.

Wyoming (14-7, 4-4) was ahead by 20 points in the game late in the first half. They held the Rebels to 28 percent shooting from the field. That flipped the second half, as UW shot only 32 percent and UNLV shot 48 percent.

The Rebels went on a 10-0 run early in the second half and got within 47-41. UW pushed it back to a 10-points lead on Hayden Dalton’s dunk. That made it 55-45 with 10:21 left. A quick 7-0 spurt by UNLV cut it to 55-52. The Rebels finally tied it on Jovan Mooring’s 3-pointer with 4:21 left. They took their first lead since 6-5 on a Tyrell Green free throw at the 3:58 mark.

Down 64-61, Justin James scored the last five points for the Cowboys in the final 1:32. First was a driving left-handed lay-up he converted for a three-point play. That tied it at 64. Then, James hit a jumper from the left wing with 1 minute left. That made it 66-64 and proved to be the game-winner.

UNLV made a free throw with 40 seconds left. After James missed a turnaround in the paint, the Rebels got one last shot with 6.1 seconds left. They had to go the length of the court. Mooring’s 3-pointer at the buzzer fell short.

The Cowboys shot 44 percent in the game. Dalton led the way with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Louis Adams had 15 points and James added 14.

UNLV (10-11, 3-5) was led by Mooring with 15 points. Christian Jones added 14. The Rebels shot 38 percent from the field. They out-rebounded Wyoming 47-33, which included 17 offensive rebounds. UNLV had only eight points off those.

UW utilized a 13-0 run in the first half to take control early with an 18-6 lead. After UNLV pulled within nine, the Pokes responded with a 15-4 run and pushed their lead to 41-21 with just over a minute left in the half. Wyoming led 41-23 at the break.

The Cowboys return to action Saturday when they host Boise State. Tip-off is at 4 p.m.

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