LARAMIE — The Wyoming basketball programs opened their 2026-27 seasons with contrasting results at the Arena-Auditorium, as the Cowboys rolled past Regis 95-48 on Tuesday night while the Cowgirls fell to Santa Clara 84-50 on Monday.
The Cowboys used a dominant second half to secure their season-opening victory, outscoring the Rangers 53-21 after halftime while shooting 60% from the field in the final 20 minutes.
Wyoming had six players score in double figures, led by Khaden Bennett with 15 points and six rebounds. Parker Gerrits added 12 points in his collegiate debut, while Nasir (Naz) Meyer scored 11. Gavin Gores, Linus Ruf and Michael Mora each finished with 10 points. Ruf also scored in his first collegiate appearance.
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Canin Jefferson contributed nine points and a team-high four assists.
“Big shout out to Rex Walters,” Wyoming coach Sundance Wicks said. “Look, those guys had us reeling on our coverages in the first half with the pace of play that they play with. Our guys, six guys in double figures, I’ve said this, I think we’re going to be a team that wins as a team and loses a team. I really believe that we got to be four or five guys in double figures every night type of team because we just have so many guys that are really solid. We don’t need to be this hero ball team.”
Wicks also pointed to the Cowboys’ rebounding, ball security and defensive improvement after halftime.
“We got back to our rebounding ways, 12 offensive rebounds we wanted. We want to stay under 10 turnovers. We kept that mark. We were solid and we’re consistent for the most part offensively, which has been a staple for us, but defensively, I thought in the second half we really picked it up,” Wicks said. “I want to see us defend, rebound, take care of the basketball, as you well know. I thought we got soft on some of our finishes, but in the second half, our effort really spiked, and that was the hardest I’ve seen our guys play in the preseason.”
Wyoming finished the game shooting 55% from the field and held Regis to 38%. The Cowboys scored 26 points off 19 forced turnovers and added 23 points in transition.
The Cowboys jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the opening 90 seconds and extended the advantage to 21-6 with an 11-0 run midway through the first half. Regis battled back behind three consecutive 3-pointers late in the half, cutting the deficit to 13 before Gerrits scored to give Wyoming a 42-27 halftime advantage.
Wyoming took control after the break, using a 12-0 run to extend its lead to 68-37. Another 12-0 stretch pushed the advantage to 80-39 with less than eight minutes remaining. The Cowboys maintained control the rest of the way to finish with the 47-point victory.
Quinn Lambert led Regis with seven points and five rebounds.
Cowgirls Fall in Opener
While the Cowboys opened with a convincing victory, the Cowgirls struggled against a Santa Clara team picked to win the West Coast Conference.
The Broncos shot 60% from the field, making 32 of 64 attempts, and connected on 12 of 27 3-pointers to earn an 84-50 victory Monday night.
Wyoming struggled offensively throughout the contest, shooting 29.1% from the field and making 16 of 55 attempts. The Cowgirls were 4 of 13 from 3-point range and 14 of 18 at the free-throw line.
Norah Clark led Wyoming with 16 points, going 9 of 9 at the free-throw line. She also grabbed seven rebounds and recorded one block and three steals. Kati Ollilainen finished with seven points, while Liv Blomkvist and Peyton Wohlford each scored six. Blomkvist added a team-high two assists.
Santa Clara established control early, taking a 26-15 lead after the first quarter behind three early 3-pointers. The Broncos continued to build their advantage in the second quarter, taking a 48-27 lead into halftime after closing the period with a 7-0 run.
Wyoming opened the second half with another Blomkvist layup, but Santa Clara continued to find success offensively, leading 68-36 entering the fourth quarter. The Broncos maintained their advantage throughout the final period as the Cowgirls worked to find an offensive rhythm.
Santa Clara outrebounded Wyoming 45-28 and held a 38-22 advantage in points in the paint. The Broncos also scored 24 points off turnovers, compared with 10 for the Cowgirls, and finished eight points ahead in second-chance scoring.
Six Wyoming players scored their first career points in a Brown and Gold uniform.
“These early games are really important. It’s never easy, but just trying to get everyone on the same page,” Wyoming coach Heather Ezell said.
“Going against a team like Santa Clara, those guys have been together for 3 or 4 years and that’s a really good team and they’re on the same page and know what everyone else is doing. That’s where we need to get to. We’re playing a lot of freshmen and players that are new to this program.”
The Cowboys will look to continue their winning start Friday when they host Idaho State at 6:30 p.m. at the Arena-Auditorium. The Cowgirls return to action Saturday against Missouri State, with tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m. in Laramie.
