March 1, 2003
By ROBERT W. BLACK
Associated Press Writer
LARAMIE, Wyo. - Tony Bland scored 19 points and Steve Sir added 17 to lead San Diego State to an 86-73 win over Wyoming in a game marred by an ugly finish.
With Wyoming trailing 79-68, Cowboys coach Steve McClain picked up his second technical foul and was ejected with 48.8 seconds remaining, triggering home fans to shower the court with debris.
After San Diego State coach Steve Fisher was nearly struck by a plastic water bottle, another technical foul was called on the Wyoming team, triggering more items to be thrown.
Freshman Evan Burns added 12 points and Deandre Moore had 11 points and 10 rebounds for San Diego State (15-10, 6-6 Mountain West), which beat Wyoming for a fourth straight time.
Donta Richardson led the Cowboys (19-7, 7-4) with 28 points while David Adams returned from an ankle injury to score 14.
San Diego State never trailed, outshooting Wyoming 52 percent to 36 percent.
The Aztecs, who led by 15 points twice in the first half, saw their margin shrink to 49-46 when Richardson hit a layup with 11:58 remaining.
Moore responded with a 3-pointer, igniting a 20-11 surge that ended with Burns' dunk at the 2:40 mark, leaving San Diego State up 69-57.
The Cowboys didn't get closer than five points during the final 5:52.
Uche Nsonwu-Amadi, who was averaging 13.3 points, was held to seven before fouling out with 6:41 remaining and the Cowboys down 57-52. He had 11 rebounds.
San Diego State took a 42-29 halftime lead on 63-percent shooting including 6-of-10 from the arc. Wyoming sank only 31 percent in the opening frame.
The Aztecs jumped to a 17-2 lead, allowed Wyoming to creep within 20-17, then closed the first half on a 17-8 roll. The latter surge was sparked by Sir, who sank a pair of 3-pointers, and Burns, who had a trey and a dunk.
The game featured a halftime ceremony honoring surviving members of Wyoming's 1943 NCAA championship team: Kenny Sailors, Lew Roney and Jimmy Reese.