Cowboys try to snap long road losing streak

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UW has dropped last 13 road games



The road has not been kind to the Wyoming Cowboys during Heath Schroyer's tenure.

UW is 6-31 in true road games since Schroyer took over the head coaching duties prior to the 2007-08 season.

The Pokes have lost their last 13 road games, including an 0-2 mark this year with losses at Northern Colorado and South Dakota.

But UW (3-5) is coming off its best game of the season -- and 81-51 victory over Indiana State last Saturday -- heading into tonight's game at UC-Irvine.

Schroyer is hoping the Pokes can come up with a similar performance against the Anteaters.

"We'll see about momentum [carrying over]," Schroyer said during Wednesday's conference call. "We just have to treat this like another game.

"It's going to come down to how hard we play."

It would also help if the Cowboys were ready to play when they stepped off the bus; they trailed UNC 31-4 at the 11-minute mark and faced a double-digit deficit at South Dakota just three minutes in.

Obviously, UW wants to avoid that kind of a start against UC-Irvine (4-4), which is coming off an 85-70 home loss to San Jose State.

"UC-Irvine presents some challenges," Schroyer said. "They've got four guards who have the ability to penetrate and kick ... this is the best penetration team we've played. They're also very quick and they do a good job of getting to the [free throw] line."

Senior guard Darren Moore, who scored a career-high 30 points in a win over San Diego on Dec. 1, leads the Anteaters with 18 points per game while backcourt mate Patrick Rembert averages 13.3 ppg.

And while the UW backcourt of JayDee Luster and Desmar Jackson could offset their scoring -- they combined for 32 points against Indiana State -- the Pokes will likely count on their defense to slow down the Anteaters. UW is coming off its best defensive showing after limiting the Sycamores to just 29.4-percent shooting.

"Our matchup zone has been good to us," Schroyer said. "It covers a lot of fundamentals we stress and it helps us keep pressure on the ball ... we'll keep playing it.

"I thought we were very active defensively [against Indiana State] and it led to some easy baskets."

Whether the Pokes can build off last week's win remains to be seen. But Schroyer is pleased with how they responded after the loss at South Dakota.

"We're getting better," Schroyer said. "It's taken us some time to solidify our rotation, but I think we're getting to the point where guys understand their roles.

"We just need to keep getting game experience as we try to acclimate some players into the rotation."

It wouldn't hurt if those players could also experience a road victory.


ROAD WOES: UW is 0-2 on the road this year and has dropped its last 13 true road games.

HE SAID IT: "We just have to treat this like another game." -- UW coach Heath Schroyer.




SERIES HISTORY: This is the first meeting between the Cowboys and the Anteaters.

GUARDED OPTIMISM: UCI guard Darren Moore leads the Anteaters in scoring at 18 ppg, while UW guard Desmar Jackson tops the Pokes with 13.6 ppg.

NOT YET: UW forward Adam Waddell, who missed the last two games because of an injured Achilles tendon, is doubtful. He probably won't be back in the lineup until next week.

 

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Moore sticks to rising
UC Irvine senior guard, inspired by Spider-Man tattoo, has stepped up to lead 4-4 Anteaters.




He doesn't wear glasses, prefers sociology to science, and his super powers are limited to the supremely athletic movements of a Division I men's college basketball standout.

So, when it comes to comparisons, UC Irvine senior guard Darren Moore is aligned much more with Peter Parker than the slightly nerdy comic-book everyman's more famous alter-ego: Spider-Man.

But thanks to growing exposure of the tattooed image of a spider perched atop a web on the front of Moore's muscle-rippled upper torso, some fans have begun referring to the Anteaters' scoring leader and co-captain as "Spidey."

"The nickname is starting to stick now," said Moore, who is averaging 18 points, a team-best 6.9 rebounds and 2.4 steals, and is shooting a super-hero-like 57% from the field heading into his 4-4 team's nonconference clash with Wyoming tonight at 7 at the Bren Events Center.

The spider tattoo, bordered by images of Spider-Man villains Venom and Carnage, is, in fact, an homage to the Marvel Comics and blockbuster-movie franchise, in which the bespectacled Parker transforms into the masked, super strong and agile Spider-Man to fight the forces of evil. It is also one of dozens of pieces of body art, most of which nearly completely cover Moore's arms and legs.

"I've always liked the whole story of Spider-Man," said Moore, who grew up frequenting a comic book store down the street from his Chino Hills home. "The story about Spider-Man really grabs me, because there are two parts to him. There's Peter Parker, and the actual Spider-Man. Everybody thinks Peter Parker is a nobody; he thinks he's a nobody. But when he changes into Spider-Man, he has the utmost confidence and the utmost abilities."

The transformation is analogous to Moore's ascension at UCI, his third college program after starring at Ayala High.

UCI, Loyola Marymount and Northern Arizona were among those who recruited the two-time All-CIF Southern Section performer out of high school. Instead, he chose to attend Northern Colorado.

But as a lean 6-foot-3, 160-pound freshman, Moore found the physical demands of the Division I game as harsh as the frigid Colorado winter. So, after averaging 2.9 points and 1.7 rebounds while playing in all 28 games and starting three for the Bears, he came home and earned all-state recognition while helping Citrus Community College go 35-1 and win the 2008 state championship.

He committed to transfer to UCI while playing at Citrus, where physical maturity and devotion to the weight room helped him gain much-needed strength. The team's dominance also helped bolster his self-esteem.

"That season [at Citrus] was the whole reason why I'm confident today," said Moore, who made all nine field-goal attempts, including three three-pointers, in a 30-point, 11-rebound, four-steal performance to pace UCI's 90-82 win at San Diego on Dec. 1. "I learned a whole lot there about a winning attitude and winning ways."

Entering UCI at 190 pounds, he averaged 5.7 points and 2.7 rebounds in six games in 2008-09, but a torn patellar tendon sidelined him for the season and he was granted a medical redshirt.

He started all 28 games last season, averaging 11.2 points and 4.6 rebounds. The injury limited his athleticism early, he said, and the statistics speak to his improvement as the season progressed. He averaged 15.9 points and 6.8 rebounds the final nine games, hitting 22 of 38 field-goal attempts during that stretch (57.9%).

Russell Turner replaced Pat Douglass as coach last off-season, bringing a less-restrictive style of play that has helped Moore blossom further.

"I get more chances to do more and make more plays [this season]," said Moore, who noted he also responded positively to the swagger Turner has injected into the program after Douglass' last two teams finished 14-18 and 12-19. "There's a lot more freedom because we play a driving type of offense."

Driving is Moore's forte, though he has also worked hard to be an effective outside shooter (hitting 10 of 24 from three-point range, 41.7%).

"He has a real good mix right now of having the ability to make open jump shots on the perimeter and getting to the rim and finishing," Turner said. "He has mixed his drives and jumpers at about the exact right ratio."

Turner said Moore's strength, length and determination help make him a handful for opponents at both ends of the floor.

"The guy is shooting 57%, so he has exceeded expectations," Turner said. "His rebounding has exceeded expectations, too. I thought he'd be a good defender and he has been.

"I thought the change in style would help him, but I didn't expect him to play as well as he has played as a crunch-time player for us in the games we've won. There's not really any area in which he has disappointed me. I like where he is right now, but for him to be as good as he can be, he has got to stay hungry, motivated and keep that underdog mentality."

That shouldn't be a problem for Moore, a self-confessed late bloomer, who said determination has helped him become a better player than most thought he would ? helped him ditch his inner Peter Parker.

"When I was little, nobody would have ever known that I would grow up to be a basketball player at UC Irvine," Moore said. "I've always played basketball, but I wasn't always good at it. But I stuck to it and worked hard."

It's the kind of stick-to-itiveness at which even Spider-Man might marvel.