The University of Wyoming Cowboys’ magical run in the 2020 Mountain West Basketball Championship came to an end Friday with an 89-82 loss to second-seeded Utah State in Las Vegas. The UW men (9-24) were the first-ever No. 11 seed to reach the semifinals of the tournament, upsetting No. 6 Colorado State and No. 3 Nevada on Wednesday and Thursday.

The Pokes tied Friday’s game against Utah State at 66 with less than five minutes remaining, but the Aggies responded with a 13-0 run and hit 10 straight shots to close out the game.

Freshman Kenny Foster led UW with 18 points, sophomore Hunter Thompson added 17, freshman Kwane Marble II had 15, redshirt sophomore Hunter Maldonado 14 and senior Jake Hendricks 11. Utah State was led by Sam Merrill with 27 points.

The Aggies took a 38-31 lead a halftime before Marble II added five-straight to tie the game at 66-66 with 4:45 left. The Aggies then made their final run to take the contest and advance to the finals, where they defeated San Diego State, the tourney’s top seed and the country’s No. 5-ranked team.

Wyoming 80, Colorado State 74

The UW men found their range from 3-point range early against the Colorado State Rams, earning an 80-74 victory over their rivals in the first round on Wednesday.

Five Pokes reached double-digit scoring: Marble II (20), Hendricks (16), TJ Taylor (15), Maldonado (13) and AJ Banks (10). The Cowboys had a season-high 19 assists paired with a season-low seven turnovers.

The Cowboys shot a season-high 46.2 percent (12-26) from three, including a blistering 57.1 percent (8-14) in the first half.

Wyoming built up a 26-10 lead, but the Rams cut the advantage to 44-39 at halftime.

CSU came within two with 8:55 left, but Marble II answered with a triple to start an 11-0 run. The Pokes sealed the game at free throw line.

The Rams were led by Isaiah Stevens with 22 points while Nico Carvacho had 20 points and 15 rebounds

Wyoming 74, Nevada 71

The Cowboys continued their run on Thursday, rallying to knock off Nevada, 74-71.

Marble II scored 24 points while Thompson added 17 and Hendricks 12.

Wyoming shot 38.7 percent (24-62) from the field, 40.7 percent (11-27) from three and 78.9 percent (15-19) from the free throw line.

Nevada led by as much as 48-36 in the second half. But Wyoming held the Wolf Pack without a field goal for over six minutes to make it 58-54 with under eight minutes remaining. Sophomore Greg Milton III later hit a three, Thompson a bucket and Marble II a layup to make it 64-61 Pokes with 4:13 left. Wyoming went 4-of-6 from the line down the stretch to win. Nevada was led by Lindsey Drew’s 19 points.