Las Vegas, NV -- (Sports Network) - Marcus Walker scored 22 points and dished out five assists, and ninth-seeded Colorado State snapped its 17-game losing streak with a 68-63 victory over Wyoming in the opening round of the Mountain West Conference Tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Andre McFarland scored 18 and grabbed five rebounds, while Adam Nigon added 10 and four. The Rams (7-24) used a key second-half spurt to gain their first win over a conference opponent this season, and will move on to face top-seeded and 24th-ranked BYU at 3 p.m. (et) Thursday.

Brandon Ewing poured in 29 points for Wyoming (12-18), but the Cowboys committed 19 turnovers and shot just 35.7 percent from the floor. Brad Jones was the only other player in double figures, with 10 points.

Wyoming held a lead of as many as seven in the second half, but a 13-2 CSU spurt - capped by McFarland's three - gave the Rams a 56-50 edge with under seven minutes to go.

The Cowboys hung around, but were unable to pull closer than within two, and Ewing's potential tying three-pointer with 17 seconds remaining rimmed out. Willis Gardner then hit one-of-two free throws with 11 ticks on the clock, making it a two-possession game, and the Rams held on for the long-awaited victory from there.

Gardner and Flynn Clayman scored eight points apiece for Colorado State, which went 0-16 in MWC play during the regular season.

Wyoming led for the almost the entire first half, though the Rams held a brief lead after Gardner's two free throws made it 20-19 with 9:33 to go. The Cowboys quickly recovered with a 6-0 spurt, and eventually took a 36-31 lead into the break.