Box Score LARAMIE, Wyo. Sophomore forward Rob Lewis (Colorado Springs, Colo.) scored 15 of his team-leading 17 points in the first half, but the University of Denver men’s basketball team fell to the Wyoming Cowboys 62-54 at Arena Auditorium on Saturday Afternoon.

“We got a lot of open shots, but our guys have to learn to bury those shots,” head coach Joe Scott said. “At four games in, we need to get good at the crucial moments of the game, when the team has a chance to win. Four of the times we took the lead, we gave it right back. I take the blame for that as a coaching staff. We need to help our players get better at all the little things, especially at the critical times of the game.”

Junior guard Nate Rohnert (Parker, Colo.) added 11 points for the Pioneers, while sharing the team lead with nine rebounds.

Denver (0-4) got off to an early five-point lead, as Rohnert nailed a three-pointer from about three feet beyond the arc just 27 seconds into the game, and Rob Lewis tipped in a miss two minutes later.

Wyoming (5-0) stormed back with a 13-2 run that was punctuated by a pair of three-pointers by Sean Ogirri and two dunks by Afam Muojeke.

Rob Lewis got the Pioneers back on top with 11 points during a 12-5 DU run that gave Denver a 19-18 lead with 5:45 remaining in the half.

The Cowboys streaked to another 6-0 run before sophomore guard Kyle Lewis (Denver, Colo.) hit a pull-up jumper from the baseline, but Wyoming headed to the break with a 29-27 lead.

The second half started slowly, as neither team scored until Wyoming’s Tyson Johnson hit a layup with 17:15 remaining.

Freshman forward Andrew Hooper (Lakewood, Colo.) nailed a pair of three-pointers to give DU a 33-31 lead with 16:03 remaining.

After Ogirri hit another pair from beyond the arc, Kyle Lewis cut the deficit back to one-point with a three-pointer with 13:09 left.

The teams traded buckets over the next six minutes until Wyoming scored seven unanswered points to take a 49-43 lead with 7:26 on the clock.

Rohnert stopped the run with a three-pointer from almost five feet from beyond the arc to beat the shot clock and cut the lead back to three.

The Cowboys went on an eight-point run to extend the lead to 57-46, their largest of the game, with 4:57 remaining.

Freshman guard Brian Stafford (Walnut Creek, Calif.) trimmed the lead with a pair of three-pointers, bringing the Pioneers back to within seven with 56 seconds left.

Just after the inbounds play, freshman guard Sabatino Chen (Louisville, Colo.) stole the ball and was fouled. Chen missed the free throw, but Rohnert grabbed the rebound and scored.

The Cowboys were led by Ogirri’s 19 points, while guard Brandon Ewing added 16 points and Johnson pulled down 12 rebounds.

Denver next heads to Missoula, Mont., for the Grizzly Basketball Classic. The Pioneers will face Montana on Dec. 4 and Texas-Arlington on Dec. 5, with both games starting at 7:05 p.m. MT.