LARAMIE — The Wyoming Cowboys struggled to find their shooting touch in the second half of a 76-63 loss at North Carolina on Tuesday, while the Cowgirls picked up their first victory of the season with a 75-64 win over UT Arlington behind a career-high 28 points from Norah Clark.
The Cowboys held the Tar Heels in check for much of the first half at the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, but North Carolina shot 53 percent after halftime to pull away. Wyoming finished the game shooting 36 percent from the field, compared with 50 percent for the Tar Heels.
Wyoming made its mark on the offensive glass, finishing with a 43-37 rebounding advantage and 19 offensive rebounds, including 15 in the first half.
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“Guys got to be able to meet the moment better and that’s what we talked about in our pregame,” Cowboys’ head coach Sundance Wicks said. “But the effort on the glass was outstanding. That’s who we are. That’s our identity and it’s nice to see some of those identity games like this, especially against a good North Carolina team. I told these guys; it’s got to keep happening. We got to keep doubling down on this because we’ve got to be. Gritty team and that’s the gritty nature of this game is we can maximize those possessions and go get a point per possession off an offensive rebound instead of less than that, that would be huge.”
Nasir (Naz) Meyer led the Cowboys with 17 points, four rebounds and four assists. Renars Sondors added 12 points on four 3-pointers, while Gavin Gores scored nine. Michael Mora grabbed a team-high eight rebounds, and Khaden Bennett contributed seven rebounds and four assists.
Wyoming opened with a 6-0 lead, but North Carolina eventually took control and led 31-29 at halftime. The Cowboys tied the game at 31 early in the second half, but the Tar Heels answered with a 6-0 run and continued to build their advantage. Wyoming made a late push, using a 10-0 run to cut the deficit to 71-63 with just over a minute remaining, but could not get closer.
Terrence Brown and Isaiah Dennis each scored 14 points for North Carolina, which had five players reach double figures. Sayon Keita grabbed eight rebounds and recorded six blocks.
The Cowboys return to action Saturday at Denver, with tipoff scheduled for 1 p.m. on ESPN+.
In Laramie, Clark scored 28 points as the Cowgirls shot 52.2 percent from the field and defeated UT Arlington 75-64 for their first win of the season. Wyoming also recorded a season-high 17 assists, had a 36-34 rebounding advantage and received contributions from 10 players who scored.
“I think the biggest thing is, to take what we’ve done the last two days in practice and really execute that in a game is the biggest thing,” Cowgirls head coach Heather Ezell said after the game.
Clark made 10 of 14 shots from the field, including two of three 3-pointers, and went 6-for-7 at the free-throw line. Her 28 points were the most she has scored in a Cowgirl uniform and one shy of her career high of 29, set in 2024 at UT Martin.
“I really challenged our players like ‘hey, be ready to take the shots that we’re capable of making’. And I thought that we really did that tonight. We were feet set, ready to shoot and made the extra pass,” Ezell said. “That really on the offensive end is when we are most successful.”
Kati Ollilainen scored 10 points, grabbed five rebounds and led Wyoming with five assists. Payton Muma and Hayley Johnson each added nine points, with Johnson also recording four rebounds, a block and a steal. Peyton Wohlford led the Cowgirls with a career-best seven rebounds.
Wyoming took a 32-26 lead into halftime and extended the advantage to 54-38 entering the fourth quarter. UT Arlington trimmed the margin to 10 points late, but Clark and the Cowgirls made key free throws down the stretch to secure the victory.
The Cowgirls shot 24-for-46 from the field and made eight of 14 3-pointers. Wyoming held the Lady Mavericks to 35.3 percent shooting overall and 15.8 percent from beyond the arc.
Wyoming travels to Fort Collins on Friday to face Border rival Colorado State. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
