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(PHOTOS) Agbim’s buzzer-beater three saves Cowboys; Pokes win 83–72 in overtime

Cowboy forward Cole Henry looks for an open teammate while being double-teamed against the Fresno State Bulldogs Jan. 28, 2025 (Garrett Grochowski, Oil City News)

LARAMIE, Wyo. — Picture this: It’s another typical night in the Arena-Auditorium and the crowd is dwindling as the Fresno State Bulldogs slowly take the lead away from the Cowboys.

The clock says 30.6 and the game is 61–65 in the Bulldogs’ favor. Dontaie Allen goes up for a contested three and it goes in. Is that enough? The Bulldogs draw the foul and get two free throws, padding their lead back up to three. Maybe it isn’t — the Pokes are down three.

The Cowboys call a time-out and draw up a plan. It’s all on Jordan Nesbitt, who has been playing the best tonight. But no, he doesn’t make it. The Pokes and Bulldogs pile up and wrestle over the ball. Who gets it? The Cowboys, but they have 7.4 seconds.

They inbound, get it to Obi Agbim. He’s been a little quieter than usual tonight and missed a good chunk of the half. Is he hot? He shoots.

Time. Swish. It’s in.

Obi Agbim’s first bucket of the night is a big dunk that would set the tone for the rest of the game against the Fresno State Bulldogs Jan. 28, 2025 (Garrett Grochowski, Oil City News).

The crowd erupts as the game goes into overtime thanks to Agbim’s buzzer-beater shot. The Pokes get a second chance.

And those Pokes did not waste it. For a majority of the five minutes of overtime, the Cowboys just couldn’t miss a three. Agbim shoots again. Three. A Fresno state mid-range jumper goes in. Cowboys get the ball and Agbim shoots again. Three. Fresno State misses a layup. Cowboys grab the ball and get it to Nesbitt. Three.

Fouls and free throws would bleed the time away until the Pokes won 83–72. The Cowboys would score 16 in overtime to the Bulldogs’ five.

Up until those final three minutes, the rest of the game looked much the same as overtime. The Bulldogs were 5–16 and just 1–9 in conference play. That’s not a guaranteed win, but the Cowboys played like the better team anyway.

The Cowboys got out to a comfortable lead and it looked like it was going to stay that way. They didn’t appear to need Agbim, at least — he ended the first half with 5 points. He would end the game with 17.

Jordan Nesbitt controlled much of the Cowboys’ offense through regulation time with 10 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Dontaie Allen and Kobe Newton also led with scoring with 14 and 18 points, respectively — higher than both of their average scores across all games this season.

For play-by-play information and individual player statistics, see the Mountain West Network’s box score information on the conference’s website.

The last time the Cowboys won at home was exactly a month ago, on Dec. 28 against the University of Nevada Wolf Pack, which they beat 66–63. They won’t get another chance to give the home crowd what they want until Feb. 4, when conference juggernaut Utah State comes to town. They are currently second in the Mountain West with an 8–1 conference record.

Before then, however, the Pokes will travel to San Diego State University to spar against the Aztecs this Saturday at 1 p.m. More information on the UW men’s basketball team’s schedule can be found at the UW Athletics website.

Cowboy guard A.J. Wills scores a three and finishes his night against the Fresno State Bulldogs on Jan. 28, 2025, with 6 points (Garrett Grochowski, Oil City News).
Cowboys Scottie Ebube and Matija Belic watch the ball rattle into the hoop against the Fresno State Bulldogs Jan. 28, 2025 (Garrett Grochowski, Oil City News).
Cowboy Kobe Newton is the highest scorer of the night against the Fresno State Bulldogs Jan. 28, 2025 (Garrett Grochowski, Oil City News)
A Pokes fan gets rowdy watching his team face the Fresno State Bulldogs Jan. 28, 2025 (Garrett Grochowski, Oil City News)

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