LARAMIE, Wyo. – Nevada came all the way back from a 20-point, second-half deficit to take a 49-48 lead with seven minutes to go, but Wyoming recovered to capture the 71-64 victory in Friday's series opener.

The teams will return to the Arena-Auditorium in Laramie for Sunday's finale, set for 1 p.m. PT on CBS Sports Network.

Warren Washington scored a career-high 21 points, with his dunk giving the Pack its one-point lead and erasing the 20-point hole. Desmond Cambridge, Jr., who finished the night with 16 points, tied up the game at 50-50 after hitting one of two free throws following a technical foul on Wyoming's Marcus Williams.

But Nevada (10-6, 5-4 MW) failed to capitalize on the possession following the technical. The Pack missed its next three attempts while Wyoming (9-5, 3-4 MW) went on a 9-0 run behind Kenny Foster and Kwane Marble II, who each had 15 points to pace the Cowboys.

Nevada made just four of its final 15 attempts over the final seven minutes, including seven missed 3-pointers. The Pack's struggles from deep played a major role in the defeat, as Nevada finished the game just 4-for-24, while Wyoming cashed 12 of its 37 attempts.

Washington, who went 8-for-11 from the field and grabbed nine rebounds to just miss his first double-double, kept the Pack within striking distance, twice closing the deficit to five in the final minute. Wyoming, however, would ice the game from the line, as Marcus Williams was 4-for-4 in the final minute to push Wyoming's lead to 69-62 with 25 seconds remaining.

Early on, things appeared primed to go Nevada's way as the Pack hit its first two shots and scored nine-straight points to take a 9-5 lead. But the Pack would go 7-for-28 the rest of the opening half, while Wyoming heated up from deep, hitting eight triples to take a 33-21 lead at the break. Xavier DuSell played a big role off the bench for the Cowboys in their hot start, ending up with 14 points and four triples.

Grant Sherfield had his streak of 20-point games snapped at six, being limited to just eight points. Tré Coleman finished with 11 points while Robby Robinson, making his second start in a row in place of an injured Zane Meeks, grabbed nine rebounds.