AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – How's your heart rate? Blood pressure?
 
Make sure you keep your arms, legs and feet inside the intense Sundance Wicks' ride and read the warning signs carefully before boarding.
 
"Get used to it Poke fans," Wyoming's animated head coach said. "If you don't like stress, don't watch our games."
 
The Cowboys (9-6, 2-2 Mountain West) – playing without dynamic leading scorer Obi Agbim (sprained ankle) and athletic big man Scottie Ebube (illness) – rallied from a nine-point deficit to beat Air Force 70-65 on Saturday night at Clune Arena.
 
This was far from the low scoring "rock fight" Wicks predicted as both teams executed their offenses at an elite level.
 
The Falcons (3-11, 0-3) made 11 of their first 13 shots (84.6%) to storm out to the early lead. The Pokes answered with a 13-0 run, which was started by a Jordan Nesbitt dunk on an offensive rebound and finished with a 3-pointer by Kobe Newton, to surge ahead 33-27.
 
Air Force counter punched with a 9-0 spurt to take a three-point lead into the intermission.
 
UW trailed 55-50 before Matija Belic finished a key basket in the paint and Dontaie Allen added his fourth 3 to tie the score late.
 
Air Force center Wesley Celichowski finished with 19 points on 8-for-10 shooting, but his 6-foot-9 counterpart, Cole Henry, had the last laugh after aggressively scoring over the 7-footer to give the Cowboys a 62-56 cushion in crunch time.
 
Jordan Nesbitt made clutch free throws, a tough shot and a huge stop on a contested Ethan Taylor 3 to prevent the Falcons from making a last-minute comeback.
 
"I gave a lot of game balls out tonight," Wicks said after UW's first MW road win of the season. "There were a lot of big-time plays by big-time players just stepping up in those moments, but more importantly, we limited them to two 3s in the second half. That was a (big) deal."
 
Air Force shot 56.5% with eight made 3s, but UW was 57.1% from the field, including a blistering 9-for-13 (69.2%) behind the arc.
 
Newton led the visitors in scoring with 19 points and Allen added 14 points off the bench. The two shooting guards were a combined 8-for-9 (88.9%) on 3s.
 
"It's insane," Wicks said of the outside shooting performance.
 
Belic added 13 points on 6-for-8 shooting and Nesbitt finished with 12 points and a team-high 10 rebounds.
 
A.J. Wills was the unsung hero after playing all 40 minutes. The sophomore point guard finished with five points – including two free throws to extend the lead to 66=61 with 46.1 seconds left – with five assists and three turnovers.
 
UW only had seven total turnovers against Air Force's full-court pressure.
 
"We needed him to control tempo and pace and break the press," Wicks said of Wills, who had 17 points in 14 minutes during the loss to Boise State in the previous game. "That's what he does. He played 40 minutes and hit two clutch free throws."
 
The Pokes pulled out some nail biters in non-conference play against Southeastern Louisiana (64-61), Tulane (64-63) and Cal State Fullerton (73-69).
 
But the pressure in MW games, which are often decided in the last possession, is on another level.
 
UW pushed Utah State to the brink until Nesbitt's half-court 3 rimmed out at the buzzer in the 70-67 loss in Logan. The 66-63 win over Nevada came down to some impressive defensive stops after Agbim's go-ahead 3 with 70 seconds remaining.
 
Saturday's shooting clinic at Clune Arena would have given Wicks some gray hair if he had any on his bald head.
 
"There're 10 new guys here who have never had to go through the Air Force scout. It is a complex scout because it is the antithesis of everything you're trying to do. You try to play the percentages and some nights the percentages are in your favor and other nights like this you kind of scratch your head and are like, I've got to trust it," Wicks said. "Coach (Pat) Monaghan says to me, he goes, I won't be at the next Air Force game. He's going to be on the road recruiting. He's never been a part of this either.
 
"I just laughed because you've got to stay poised and you've got to stay calm in those moments and you can't let them stretch (the lead) to plus-six, you can't let them stretch it over 10 because then it feels like 20."
 
There won't be an easy stretch for the Pokes or any team in the MW the rest of the way.
 
UW hosts New Mexico on Tuesday at the Arena-Auditorium (8 p.m., CBS Sports Network). The Lobos are tied with the Aggies atop the standings with 4-0 conference records.
 
It's time for everyone to get on this ride.
 
"What a great matchup, undefeated New Mexico coming to our pit, the Dome of Doom," Wicks said. "We need all the Poke fans there to go nuts."
 
If you are interested in learning more about NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) or would like to support our student-athletes, please visit 1wyo.org. 1WYO was created out of Wyoming's culture of neighbor helping neighbor. The mission is to promote and strengthen local charitable organizations and develop Wyoming student athletes. 
 
Follow Ryan for more stories on Wyoming athletics on X at @By_RyanThorburn on Facebook at Wyoming Athletics and Instagram at wyoathletics. Also follow him at Pokes Insider at Gowyo.com/pokesinsider.