by: Wade Denniston, USU Athletic Media Relations
LARAMIE, Wyoming – Graham Ike grabbed the offensive rebound, muscled his way to the hoop and scored on a layup with seven seconds left in overtime.
That offensive putback proved to be the difference as Wyoming held off Utah State 78-76 in a thrilling Mountain West men's basketball game Tuesday night at Arena-Auditorium.
Ike finished with 28 points and 12 rebounds – both game highs – as the Cowboys (20-3, 9-1 MW) snapped the Aggies' five-game winning streak.
Senior forward
Brandon Horvath led Utah State (15-10, 6-6 MW) with 20 points, to go along with eight rebounds and six assists, while fellow senior forward
Justin Bean added 14 points and 11 rebounds. Sophomore guard
Steven Ashworth was the only other Aggie to score in double figures as he had 16 points.
Following Ike's game-winner, Utah State still had a chance to send the game to a second overtime, but junior guard
Rylan Jones, who scored five points off the bench, missed a potential game-tying basket.
A 3-pointer by Bean gave the Aggies a 48-38 lead with 18:27 to go in the second half, but the Cowboys, who improved to 11-0 at home this season, battled back to tie it at 53-apiece with 10:55 to go following a couple of free throws by Jeremiah Oden.
Those were the only two points Oden scored on the night, while Hunter Maldonado poured in 23 points and Drake Jeffries had a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds.
Bean gave Utah State a 68-66 lead with 2:03 left in regulation courtesy of a dunk, but Wyoming tied it when Ike calmly knocked down a pair of free throws with 17 seconds left.
In a game that featured 12 ties and 17 lead changes, the Aggies shot 47.6 percent from the field (30-of-63), including 32.0 percent from 3-point range (8-of-25), and 61.5 percent from the free throw line (8-of-13).
Wyoming is the only MW opponent to shoot 50 percent or better from the floor against the Aggies this season, connecting on 52.2 percent from the floor on Jan. 15 and an even 50.0 percent (25-of-50) from the floor on Tuesday.
The Aggies are back in action on Friday, Feb. 11, at 7 p.m., when they welcome Nevada to the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. The game will be televised live on Fox Sports 1.
For more information on Utah State's men's basketball program, follow the Aggies on Facebook at usumensbasketball, on Twitter at @usubasketball and on Instagram at @usubasketball. Fans can also watch USU men's basketball highlights by visiting youtube.com/utahstateathletics.
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