LAS VEGAS — Sean Ogirri’s 17 points helped Wyoming become the fifth consecutive No. 6 seed in the Mountain West Conference Tournament to post a quarterfinals upset, evicting NCAA bubble team New Mexico 75-67.
The Cowboys, the only upset winner Thursday at the Thomas and Mack Center, advances to play second seed Utah, a 61-58 winner over TCU. The Utes won that game on Lawrence Borha’s wide open 3-pointer from the corner before the buzzer.
New Mexico led by as many as 13 in the first half. But Ogirri, the former Denver East standout, hit two 3’s after halftime to ignite the Cowboys. Brandon Ewing gave Wyoming a 41-37 lead when he converted two technicals assessed on the New Mexico bench. A Lobos 9-0 run put New Mexico in front 46-41, answered by another Ogirri fueled Cowboy lead.
The Cowboys led by 10 on Ogirri’s fifth 3-pointer of the night but New Mexico chipped away at the foul line. Djibril Thiam, in the play of the night, smacked his face on the rim with a dunk and hit one of two technical shots for a 68-60 lead just under the two minute mark.
The Cowboys improved to 19-12 in Heath Schroyer’s second season.
Natalie Meisler: 303-954-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com
