The Cowboys (4-1) were held to a season-low 31 percent from the field in a 78-53 loss to No. 12 Cincinnati (6-0) in the finals of the Cayman Islands Classic on Wednesday evening in George Town, Cayman Islands. Wyoming held the Bearcats well below their season average of 91 points per game. But the 53 points by Wyoming was the lowest total since UW scored 45 in the Mountain West Championship game in 2015.
 
"First of all give Cincinnati and coach Cronin credit with the victory and championship," UW head coach Allen Edwards said. "They came out more assertive and I thought that we played more on our heels and were passive. Momentum took its place early and from that point we were fighting trying to get back in the game."
 
Seniors Louis Adams and Hayden Dalton were named to the All-Tournament team for the Cowboys. Adams averaged 13.3 points per game with Dalton adding 11.7 points per game.
 
"The Tournament was a tremendous experience for us," Edwards said. "Going forward I told the guys how do we learn from this experience? This was an opportunity that we missed out on.  But I'm confident in our program with what we are doing. If we are going to achieve our goals we are going to play a team like this again."
 
Dalton led the Pokes with 15 points on the night with five rebounds. Senior forward Alan Herndon added 12 points to go along with a team-high six rebounds. Adams added 12 points in his first start of the season.
 
Wyoming shot a season low 31 percent from the field going 15-of-48. The Pokes were 6-of-21 from the three point line for 29 percent. The Cowboys opened the game strong from the line, but finished the game going 17-of-25 for 68 percent.
 
"Watching Cincinnati on tape and live they are better in person," Edwards said.  "Cincinnati shot the ball very well and their inside attack was very good. We were passive on the offensive end and were not being assertive. We didn't take advantage of our skills set, not just on the perimeter, but inside as well."  
 
The Bearcats shot 50 percent from the field going 31-of-62 and also shot 50 percent from behind the arc hitting seven of their 14 attempts. The Bearcats are one of the most dominate rebounding teams in the country, as they held a 43-28 advantage on the night.
 
The Pokes got off to a slow start offensively for the third-straight game in the tournament. Wyoming went 6:16 without a point until Adams added a pair of free throws to stop an 11-0 run by Cincinnati. The Bearcat's Gary Clark scored eight of those points for the Bearcats.
 
The Bearcats went on a 9-0 run to build a 20-2 lead until Adams gave the Pokes their first field goal of the contest. Dalton added a layup to make it a 20-6 game halfway through the half. The Pokes hit back-to-back threes from Dalton and freshman Hunter Maldonado to make it a 24-12 game with under six minutes remaining.
 
The Bearcats offense kept churning in the period, as the Pokes trailed 37-20 at the break. The Bearcats held the Pokes to 23 percent from the field and outrebounded the Pokes 22-12 in the first frame. Cincinnati shot 50 percent from the field in the half and the Pokes did most of their damage from the free throw line going 8-of-9.
 
The Bearcats opened the second half on a 10-4 run to make it a 47-24 game in the opening five minutes of the period. The Pokes opened the second half going 1-of-9 from the field. Adams put down a highlight reel dunk to be the first Poke in double-figures.
 
Cincinnati kept the offense rolling though and extended their lead to 28 points at 66-38 with 7:16 remaining. Dalton got into double-figures during the stretch with a three-pointer, as it was only the Pokes fourth of the game, as UW averaged 8.5 heading into the contest.
 
The Bearcats maintain their momentum until the end, as UC walked away with the 79-53 win and the championship in the first ever Cayman Islands Classic.
 
Clark led the Bearcats in scoring with 17 points. For his efforts in the tournament, Clark was named Most Valuable Player. Kyle Washington added 16 points and 11 rebounds. Jacob Evans and Cane Broome each added 10 points for UC.
 
The Cowboys return to action on Sunday hosting New Mexico Highlands for a 4 p.m. start in the Arena-Auditorium.