Riley Grabau scored a career-high 20 points to lead three Cowboys in double figures, as Wyoming pulled away from South Dakota for a 70-53 win Friday night at the Arena-Auditorium in Laramie. A 17-1 run by the Pokes midway through the first half keyed them to the victory.

Wyoming (4-1) received the second career double-double from Derek Cooke, Jr with 12 points and 11 rebounds, while Jeron Granberry added a season-high 12 points, as well. Cooke has now recorded 10 or more boards in three consecutive games.

The Cowboys jumped out to a 16-7 advantage before South Dakota trimmed the lead to two points, at 16-14, with 11:19 left. That's when Granberry and Charles Hankerson, Jr. keyed the 17-1 run over a 4:22 span. They combined to score 12 straight points, as UW built a 33-15 lead. They held a 40-27 edge at halftime.

Wyoming had a slow start to the second half. The Coyotes got within 40-33 thanks to an 11-2 spurt at the end of the first half and beginning of the second. Then the Cowboys responded and out-scored South Dakota 20-7 over the next 12 minutes for a 60-40 lead. They cruised to the 17-point win from there. It was UW's six win in the last seven meetings against the Coyotes.

The Cowboys shot 50 percent (23-46) from the field, which included 9-17 (52.9%) from 3-point range. They were 15-22 (68.2%) at the line and finished with 34 total rebounds, 14 assists and 11 turnovers.

South Dakota (0-3) struggled from the floor and shot only 31.7 percent (20-63). They were 6-24 (25%) from deep and only 7-10 at the charity stripe. The Coyotes were led by Brandon Bos with 12 points, while Tavian Pomlee added 10 off the bench. They grabbed 36 rebounds, had 11 assists and 10 turnovers.

Wyoming returns to action Monday night at 8th-ranked Ohio State. It will be the first meeting between the two schools since December 29, 1995 at the Cowboy Shootout in Casper. Tip-off in Columbus, Ohio is set for 5 p.m., Mountain time.

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