LARAMIE — When Wyoming senior guard Jake Hendricks made a layup with just over 14 minutes left for a 54-35 lead over Colorado State, it appeared to be over. It looked like the struggling Cowboys were about to deal the Rams a stunning defeat Saturday before 4,135 at the Arena-Auditorium.
But the Rams, led by a red-hot finish by senior guard Kris Martin, came all the way back against their Border War rivals to claim a 77-70 victory.
Martin scored 13 points — all of them in the last 14 minutes. Included were three 3-pointers, the last of which gave CSU (18-9, 9-5 Mountain West) the lead, at 72-70, for good with 39 seconds left in the game.
Freshman guard Isaiah Stevens, who scored 14 points to lead five CSU players in double figures, also dished a team-high four assists, including one to Martin on his go-ahead shot.
Wyoming led 70-62 after a 3-pointer by Brandon Porter with 4:19 remaining but never scored again as the Rams finished on a 15-0 run, with all of those points coming in the final two minutes.
Senior center Nico Carvacho got the winning rally started by grabbing an offensive rebound of a Stevens miss and scoring with 1:56 left to pull the Rams within 70-64.
Then Stevens made two free throws and Adam Thistlewood was fouled on a 3-point attempt and made all three shots with 1:12 remaining to pull CSU with 70-69.
Wyoming’s Hunter Maldanado, who had a game-high 17 points, missed a jumper, and Carvacho pulled down another rebound to set up the go-ahead score. Carvacho finished with a game-high 17 rebounds and 11 points, while Kendle Moore chipped in 12 points and David Roddy 10.
Hendricks finished with 14 points for the Cowboys (6-20, 1-13), and Kwane Marble had 12 points.
Colorado State (18-9, 9-5) plays UNLV on the road Tuesday. Wyoming next plays Utah State on the road Wednesday.