The Wyoming Cowboys blew a 21-point lead in the second half and lost to Texas Southern, 76-74, on Monday in Laramie.

Galen Alexander made a lay-up off an offensive rebound with 1.6 seconds left that completed the Tigers’ comeback victory.

Marcus Williams’ half-court heave at the buzzer was no good.

Wyoming (1-1) led 52-31 on a Hunter Thompson lay-up just 21 seconds into the second half. Texas Southern, the preseason favorite in the SWAC, went on a 16-5 run, which trimmed the UW lead to 57-47 at the 13:21 mark. The Tigers got it down to single-digits on a basket by John Walker III just two minutes later, at 60-51.

The Cowboys built the lead back to a dozen, at 65-53, with 7:54 left. Texas Southern kept attacking the paint and trimmed it to 69-64 at the 5:41 mark.

Wyoming made one field goal in the final 6:33, and that was a three by Williams as the shot clock wound down. That made it 72-64 with 5:09 left in the game. The Pokes scored just two free throws over the last five minutes.

The Tigers got three baskets from Michael Weathers, the last of which tied the game at 74-74 with 1:21 left, as well as two free throws apiece from Justin Hopkins and Alexander.

UW turned the ball over after their final timeout but got the defensive stop on a blocked shot by Thompson with 36 seconds left. Thompson was then called for an offensive foul on an illegal screen with 22.8 left, his fifth foul.

That set-up the game-winner for Texas Southern. Jeremiah Oden blocked a driving lay-up attempt by Walker III, but the loose ball went to Alexander, who powered in the lay-up.

Wyoming head coach Jeff Linder spoke to the media after the game.

Texas Southern (1-2) was led by Weathers 21 points and 7 rebounds. Walker III added 16 points and 6 rebounds. The Tigers shot 47 percent from the field, which included 54.5 percent in the second half. They scored 32 of their 45 points in the second half in the paint.

Hunter Maldonado paced Wyoming with 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. Williams finished with 17 points and 4 assists. Drew LaMont added 12 points on four triples off the bench, while Oden finished with 10 points and a team-high 11 rebounds. That was the first double-double by a freshman since Afam Muojeke on Jan. 27, 2009.

The Cowboys shot 44.6 percent for the game but struggled at just 31 percent in the second half. They 8-25 from deep but only 1-10 in the second half. UW was out-rebounded, 40-37, by the Tigers. The Pokes allowed 19 second-chance points and 48 total points in the paint to Texas Southern.

The first half saw Wyoming go on a 25-5 run. That turned a 9-4 deficit into a 29-14 lead. Another 12-1 run to end the half put the Cowboys in front, 50-31, at the break. UW shot nearly 57 percent from the floor in the first half and held the Tigers to 38 percent. It was reversed in the second half.

The Pokes have another quick turnaround, as they host the University of Incarnate Word from San Antonio, TX. They are a Division I team that plays in the Southland Conference. The Cardinals and Wyoming will tip-off on Wednesday, Dec. 2 at 7 p.m. in Laramie.

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