LARAMIE, Wyo. — For years Wyoming has been the team determined to slow the game down to a crawl. Limit possessions and may the best defense win.

But with coach Larry Shyatt gone and Allen Edwards taking his place, the Cowboys have become the exact opposite, one of the fastest-paced teams in the country.

Now it’s the Rams, largely because of their seven-man rotation, who are the ones trying to avoid a track meet.

CSU lost that battle, but still managed to win the Border War, snapping a five-game losing streak in the series with a 78-73 win on Tuesday night. Colorado State (18-9, 10-4 MW) went up 10 midway through the second half and then held on for dear life down the stretch, picking up its first win at the Arena-Auditorium since 2013.

“It comes down to who’s got more heart,” said CSU sophomore guard Prentiss Nixon, who scored seven straight points for the Rams in the final minute to help fight off the Pokes’ comeback bid. “Doesn’t matter if you have seven dudes or 15 guys, it comes down to who wants it more and who has more heart, who’s willing to compete for a full 40 minutes and not just 35.”

After CSU led 60-50 with 10:12 to play in the second half, Wyoming (16-11, 6-8) slowly chipped away at the deficit, energizing the crowd of 5,812 who had largely been a non-factor for most of the night.

Twice in the final 3 minutes the Cowboys were down just one, but the Rams were able to answer each time, first with a step-back jumper by Gian Clavell, and then a 3-pointer by Nixon a few possessions later.

Down to just seven scholarship players since Jan. 21, this appeared to be the game that the Rams’ lack of depth was finally going to catch up to them, especially as the fouls started to add up late in the second half. But the collapse never came, and CSU was able to keep the game at its pace to stay red-hot, winning their fourth straight and seventh in their past eight to stay squarely in the hunt for the MW conference title. The Rams lead the race by a half-game over Boise State after the win and the Broncos’ loss to New Mexico.

“I just thought we got away from our game just a little bit every now and then. But overall, it was a terrific win,” CSU coach Larry Eustachy said.

Emmanuel Omogbo recorded his 15th double-double of the season with 19 points and 16 rebounds, Clavell led the Rams with 20 points and had five boards and two blocks and Nixon finished with 16 points, three rebounds and two assists.

Once again, CSU’s defense was a huge difference. The Rams held the Cowboys to nearly five points below their season average and to 35.9 percent shooting from the floor, the third time in the past four games they’ve held an opponent to under 40 percent.

“We practice every day on getting stops, and that’s what we’re doing with seven guys,” Omogbo said. “We’re out here just trying to play as a team, play together. This team has really come a long way. Even though a lot of people said we weren’t going to do anything, we’re still fighting.”

Clavell and reserve forward Braden Koelliker (six points and six rebounds) both played through illness, Eustachy said, making one of the team’s best wins of the season that much more impressive.

“I thought our team had several chances to crack, and they stayed together as five. I think that’s what won it. Even when someone was struggling, the other four picked him up,” Eustachy said. “I thought collectively it was our best win with all the things that went wrong.”

Sean Star: 970-669-5402, sstar@reporter-herald.com or twitter.com/seanvstar

COLORADO ST. 78, WYOMING 73

COLORADO ST. (18-9)

Omogbo 8-11 2-6 19, Carvacho 3-6 2-5 8, Paige 1-7 2-4 4, Clavell 5-17 9-12 20, Nixon 4-10 5-6 16, Koelliker 2-3 0-0 6, Bonner 2-5 1-1 5. Totals 25-59 21-34 78.

WYOMING (16-11)

Herndon 5-10 1-1 15, Naughton 0-0 0-0 0, Adams 0-6 12-18 12, Lieberman 2-5 0-0 4, McManamen 4-13 0-0 11, Dalton 1-3 0-0 3, Moemeka 1-3 1-1 3, Kelley 0-3 0-0 0, James 9-16 3-3 23, Aka Gorski 1-5 0-0 2. Totals 23-64 17-23 73.

Halftime — Colorado St. 41-33. 3-point goals — Colorado St. 7-15 (Nixon 3-5, Koelliker 2-3, Omogbo 1-1, Clavell 1-4, Bonner 0-2), Wyoming 10-32 (Herndon 4-7, McManamen 3-9, James 2-4, Dalton 1-2, Lieberman 0-1, Adams 0-2, Kelley 0-3, Aka Gorski 0-4). Fouled out — None. Rebounds — Colorado St. 43 (Omogbo 16), Wyoming 37 (Herndon 12). Assists — Colorado St. 10 (Paige 3), Wyoming 7 (Kelley, James 2). Total fouls_Colorado St. 19, Wyoming 22.