ROCK SPRINGS, Wyo. – The Western Nebraska Community College men's basketball team let a win slip through their hands Tuesday night as the Cougars dropped an 81-74 contest to Western Wyoming Community College Tuesday evening in Rock Springs, Wyoming.

                WNCC, 3-4 on the season, will continue west as they compete in a classic in Twin Falls, Idaho, over the Thanksgiving break when they face the College of Southern Idaho on Friday and Colorado Northwestern on Saturday before returning home for a home contest Tuesday, November 28 against Eastern Wyoming College.

                Tuesday's contest saw the Cougars play well for the first 30 minutes. The Cougars trailed in the first half 16-13, but went on a 9-0 run to lead 22-16. The Cougars led 27-22 on a Kayden Nation bucket. Western Wyoming retook the lead at 33-32, but Anthony Simo came right back to put the Cougars up 34-33.

                The Mustangs answered with a trey for a 36-34 lead, but the Cougars closed out the first half on a 6-0 run behind a bucket by Daniel Bula and two free throws each from Simo and Willie Wilson for a 40-36 halftime lead.

                WNCC and Western Wyoming traded buckets left and right to start the second half. WNCC, leading 45-42, then went on a 17-8 run that was highlighted by a JJ Harris trey to lead 62-50 with about 10 minutes to play.

                It was from then on that the Cougars couldn't buy a bucket as Western Wyoming went on a 13-2 run to trail 64-63. Bula stopped the run with a bucket and the two teams continued trading buckets. WNCC went ahead 72-68 with 1:45 to play on a Nazir Griffin old-fashioned 3-point play.

                Western Wyoming took their first lead of the second half on two free throws with 1:11 to play. WNCC retook the lead on two Nation charity tosses to lead 74-73 with 57.5 to play. From then on, WNCC went cold and Western Wyoming scored the final eight points for the win.

                The difference in the game was shooting. Western Wyoming shot 48 percent from the field and were 57 percent (8-of-14) from the 3-point arc. WNCC was 45 percent from the field and 23 percent from beyond the arc (5-of-21).

                WNCC was also out-rebounded 37-33 with Simo leading the charge with nine followed by Bula with seven and four each from Harris, Maurice Walker, and Stephen Ovia.

                Th Cougars finished with five players in double figures. Wilson led the way with 17 points, while Nation had 13. Bula, Simo, and Harris all finished with 10 points.

WNCC (3-4)       40 34 – 74
W. Wyoming      36 45 – 81
WNCC
JJ Harris 10, Maurice Walker 5, Anthony Simo 10, Willie Wilson 17, Travis Easterly, Jr. 5, Stephen Ovia 2, Elijah Burney 2, Daniel Bula 10, Kayden Nation 13.
WESTERN WYOMING
Demetrius Davenport 9, Chok Garang 4, Trevon Chambers 5, Amari Westmoreland-Vendiola 2, Christian Adun 2, Kasen Boggs 8, Jackson Keil 16, Justus Jackson-Fobbs 3, Eddie McPhee 12, Micah Pierce 20.