Nance's 29 points lead Wyoming past UNLV, 76-71

Dec 31, 2015, 11:30 pm

LARAMIE, Wyo. -- Larry Nance Jr. muscled his way to 29 points to power Wyoming to its 12th straight victory on its home court, a 76-71 win over UNLV in the Mountain West Conference opener for both schools Wednesday night.

The victory snapped a six-game losing streak to the Runnin' Rebels, including a 71-67 loss in the quarterfinals of last year's conference tournament in Las Vegas.

Down by four at the break, the Cowboys (12-2, 1-0 Mountain West) opened the second half with an 8-0 run to take the lead. UNLV freshman Patrick McCaw drove the lane to give the Rebels a brief lead at 64-63 with under four minutes to play, but Riley Grabau took it right back with a pair of free throws.

Nance was 11 of 17 from the field and blocked three shots. Derek Cooke Jr. added 14 points.

Wood finished with 29 points to lead UNLV (9-4, 0-1).