BOX SCORE

LARAMIE, Wyo. - The University of Denver men's basketball had no answer for the size and length of Wyoming on Wednesday, losing 82-70 at the Arena-Auditorium. The loss dropped the Pioneers to 2-4 on the season.

Joe Rosga led DU, scoring a team-high 16 in defeat, his fifth game this year in double digits.

Christian Mackey chipped in with a season-high in points (10) and rebounds (seven) off the bench.

The Cowboys were led by a game-high 21 points from Justin James.

Wyoming jumped on Denver early, taking a 10-4 lead into the first media timeout by forcing the Pioneers into four quick turnovers in the opening minutes.

The Cowboys - shooting 30.2 percent from deep entering the game - had the 3-point shot working to start, knocking down four triples to start the game.

A pair of made free throws from Daniel Amigo snapped a 9-0 Wyoming run with 12 minutes to go.

The Cowboys continued their attack on the offensive end of the floor, using their length and athleticism to push the lead to 13 after a put-back dunk by Hayden Dalton.

Back-to-back 3s from Rosga helped cut the Wyoming lead to eight with 7:50 left in the first half, giving the St. Paul, Minn. native his first two baskets of the night.

It was all Cowboys after that for the rest of the period, using their defensive pressure to continue to force DU into tough shots and turnovers to take a 16-point lead into the break, 46-30.

Turnovers were the story in the half for Denver, who finished with 14.

Rosga got the Pioneers on the board in the second half with a free throw, snapping a 3:06 scoreless streak, upping his total to nine in the game.

DU got within 12 after some great plays on offense from Rosga, Mackey and Jake Pemberton.

Wyoming again found separation with some hot outside shooting, building its lead back up to 17 shortly after a layup from Jonathan Barnes.

Denver, though, refused to let this one go, using an 8-3 run over a 1:42 stretch to make it an 11-point game at 59-48.

A midrange jumper by Duke Douglas brought the Cowboy lead down to nine at 65-56, the first basket of the night for the redshirt junior.

But the Cowboys never let the Pioneers get any closer than eight the rest of the way, picking up the win and snapping a two-game slide in the process.

Tale of Two Halves
Coach Billups challenged his squad at halftime to come out and compete after being outscored by 16 in the first 20 minutes. His team answered the challenge, winning the second half 40-36. The improved performance in the period came from taking care of the ball and much better defense, forcing Wyoming into all nine of its turnovers in the game.

Up Next
DU continues its seven-game road trip with a visit to Ogden, Utah for a meeting with Weber State (2-4) on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. MT.

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