2/2/1967

The Wildcats dropped a 75-73 decision to Wyoming when Cowboy guard Cliff Nelson swished a 15-foot jump shot just before the final buzzer.

Nelson's basket erased a brilliant Arizona comeback which saw the Wildcats pull even after trailing 73-68 with only 35 seconds remaining in the game.

"We shot well "again," said Arizona coach Bruce Larson, "but turnovers killed us." The Cats lost the ball 20 times on turnovers and the Cowboys 11 times.

Two Wyoming steals at the three-minute mark were turned into baskets as the Pokes pulled ahead, 64-63, after Arizona had gone into a delay game on a 63-60 lead.

The victory evened Wyoming's Western Athletic Conference record at 2-2 and lifted its season mark to 7-10. Arizona suffered its third loss in four WAC starts and watched its season record fall to 6-11.

Forward Bill Davis scored 21 points and picked off 16 rebounds for the Wildcats and guards Mike Welton and Brad Greene scored 16 points each. Dick Root came off the bench with a strong, 10-point performance and tied the score 73-73 to set the stage for Nelson's winning goal.

Nelson led the Cowboy scorers with 18 points and sophomore forward Harry Hall added 16. Wyoming played without regular center Ken Collins, who was dismissed from the squad earlier in the day for disciplinary reasons.

Arizona's aggressive defenders were charged with 27 personal fouls. The Cats lost Davis and center Mike Kordik on fouls in the closing minutes and starting forward Mike Aboud watched most of the game from the bench after drawing three fouls in the first four minutes and a fourth 3:32 before halftime.

Wyoming made only 17 of 32 free throws while Arizona came up with a brilliant 19-for-21 effort at the charity stripe. The Cats also shot much better from the field (47% to 41%) than the hosts.

Welton contributed nine assists and led Arizona to a 39-37 halftime lead. The Cats' early 23-16 lead was wiped out when Wyoming scored 11 consecutive points for a 27-23 edge, but Arizona took charge again and went ahead at intermission.

Davis was charged with his fourth foul a minute deep in the second half.

The Wildcats rubbed put Wyoming's 73-68 lead when Greene sank three free throws (one coming after a technical foul on Poke Tom Asbury) and Root canned a two-pointer with 15 seconds to go.