LARAMIE — The Wyoming men’s and women’s basketball teams close their home schedules Tuesday inside the Arena-Auditorium, with both programs honoring seniors prior to their regular-season finales.
The Cowboys host Nevada Wolf Pack at 8 p.m. on Senior Day, while the Cowgirls welcome Grand Canyon Lopes at 5 p.m. for Senior Night in the first game of a doubleheader.
Wyoming’s men enter the contest 16-13 overall and 7-11 in Mountain West play after defeating Air Force Falcons at home Saturday. The Cowboys are averaging 76.8 points per game and allowing 72.8 per contest. In league play, Wyoming is scoring 69.9 points per game. The Cowboys are averaging 35.6 rebounds per game, ranking sixth in the conference, and lead the Mountain West with just over 12 offensive rebounds per game. Wyoming is making 8.3 3-pointers per game and shooting 32.8 percent from beyond the arc.
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The Wolf Pack are 19-10 overall and 11-7 in conference play following an 85-83 overtime loss to UNLV Runnin’ Rebels. Nevada averages 76 points per game and allows 72. The Wolf Pack shoot 43.5 percent from the field, the same percentage opponents are shooting against them. Nevada averages 10 turnovers per game, blocks 3.9 shots per contest and shoots 75 percent from the free-throw line with nearly 20 makes per game.
Wyoming is led by Leland Walker at 14 points per game, which ranks ninth in the Mountain West, and 3.5 assists per game, eighth in the league. Nasir (Naz) Meyer is averaging 13.1 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. Khaden Bennett adds 10 points per game and a team-high five rebounds per contest, while Damarion Dennis is scoring 10.5 points per game and shooting 51 percent from the field.
Nevada is paced by Corey Camper Jr. at 17.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Tayshawn Comer averages 12.2 points and has a team-high 108 assists. Elijah Price adds 13 points and a team-best 8.9 rebounds per game, along with 53 blocks.
The Cowboys lead the all-time series 22-12 and are 14-5 against Nevada in Laramie. Nevada won the first meeting this season, 92-82 on Jan. 10 in Reno.
Meyer was named the Old Trapper Mountain West Freshman of the Week on Monday for the fourth time this season. The Los Angeles native averaged 13 points and 7.5 rebounds per game against the Boise State Broncos and Air Force while shooting 50 percent from the field. He added 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Meyer scored 14 points in the win over Air Force, including five in the final 90 seconds, and recorded an and-one play with 35 seconds to give Wyoming the lead and the win. He also grabbed eight rebounds, tying a career best.
On the women’s side, Wyoming closes the regular season after falling on the road to Mountain West champion San Diego State Aztecs. Jane Rumpf scored a career-high 27 points in the loss, shooting 8-for-13 from the field and 6-for-10 from 3-point range.
Since becoming a starter 16 games ago, Rumpf is averaging 11.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game while shooting nearly 36 percent from 3-point range and making 2.7 3-pointers per game during that span. She has seven double-figure scoring games as a starter, including two 20-point performances and double-doubles.
Rumpf and Heidur Karlsdottir are tied for first and third, respectively, in the league during conference play at 1.7 blocks per game. Wyoming leads the Mountain West in blocks at four per game overall and 4.5 per game in conference play. The Cowgirls are second in the league with 14 assists per game and have assisted on 65.7 percent of their field goals this season. Payton Muma leads the team with 2.7 assists per contest, ranking ninth in the conference.
Malene Pedersen leads the league in scoring during conference play and has scored seven more points than Air Force Falcons guard Milahnie Perry and 13 more than UNLV Lady Rebels guard Meadow Roland.
Grand Canyon is averaging 64.9 points per game and allowing 65.2 while shooting nearly 40 percent from the field and 29.5 percent from 3-point range. The Lopes shoot 76 percent from the free-throw line, are plus-2.8 in rebounding margin and average 13.3 assists per game. They force more than 17 turnovers per game but commit 18.2 themselves.
Chloe Mann averages 12.8 points and 3.1 assists per game, while Julianna Lamendola adds 11.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 24 blocks. Both have made 40 3-pointers and are shooting better than 31 percent from beyond the arc. Anisa Jeffries leads the team with 48 steals.
Grand Canyon won the first-ever meeting between the programs earlier this season, 57-47 in Phoenix. Pedersen scored 20 points in the loss, and Karlsdottir added nine points, five rebounds and three blocks off the bench.
Rumpf was named the Old Trapper Mountain West Freshman of the Week for the third time this season Monday. She averaged 17.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.5 blocks per game last week while shooting 55 percent from the field and 53.8 percent from 3-point range. In the loss at San Diego State, Rumpf went crazy Saturday at San Diego State, recording a career-high 27 points on 8-for-13 shooting from the field and made all six of Wyoming’s 3-pointers in the loss. She opened the week with eight points, seven rebounds, a career-best four assists and three blocks at Air Force.
