LARAMIE – Sundance Wicks said Leland Walker was too "exhausted" to have much of a voice.
 
Matija Belic, who could miss the rest of the season due to injury, and Nasir (Naz) Meyer, who was in concussion protocol this week, didn't play.
 
And the Cowboys' other front-line players didn't play well enough to have much of a say.
 
In the aftermath of Wyoming's deflating 81-65 loss to Boise State, an unlikely leader stood up in the postgame locker room.
 
Garrett Spielman, a walk-on from Sheridan who saw one minute of action against the Broncos, decided to passionately use his lungs to breathe some life back into the team.
 
"Garrett has been here the longest, he knows our culture the most and he's not afraid," Wicks said. "I think there's a fear factor with guys when it comes to leadership nowadays because you can't sell what you don't own. Garrett owns it. He's an engineering major, he does all the dirty work, he's a blue-collar boy through and through, he's a Wyoming guy who has a lot of pride. It means something to him. He cares. …
 
"I'm going with the guy who cares."
 
Walker poured in a career-high 30 points against Boise State. Gavin Gores and Damarion Dennis scored eight points each and Khaden Bennett added seven points and 10 rebounds.
 
However, a 27-4 run by the Broncos to end the first half quickly turned a competitive Mountain West game into UW's fourth consecutive defeat.
 
"We just weren't good enough at the end of the first half," Bennett said. "They just started (being more physical), and that's what we knew they were going to come try to do. They were going to try to be bullies, and we kind of let them do that to us."
 
The Cowboys (11-8, 2-6) proved they can push a talented opponent off the cliff at 7,220 feet when they dismantled UNLV 98-66.
 
Inexplicably, UW's confidence has waned, and the Runnin' Rebels have won three of their last four games, including an overtime victory over Boise State and a road triumph at Utah State, since the Jan. 6 game in Laramie.
 
"It's not fun to be on the sideline telling guys to shoot the basketball and to have some freedom and confidence," Wicks lamented.
 
Wicks is imploring his Pokes to treat the next game against San Jose State on Saturday at the Arena-Auditorium (2 p.m., MW Network) as the most important 40 minutes of the season to date.
 
In other words, represent the brown and gold with the same pride as Spielman.
 
"He's the longest standing Poke in that locker room. He has seen good, bad, ugly. He's seen it all and he's like, this is enough," Wicks said. "The way he speaks in his voice and how it crackles a little bit, sometimes when I get a little teary eyed it crackles, I just know that guy cares.
 
"It's a good lesson for all of us to not have to worry about the star player but the guy who stars in his role and cares about everybody else."
 
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.
 
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