LARAMIE — Wyoming led wire-to-wire Saturday night and knocked off rival Colorado State, 68-57, in the first Border War meeting of the season inside the Arena-Auditorium.
The Cowboys improved to 13-9 overall and 4-7 in Mountain West play, snapping Colorado State’s recent momentum in the rivalry while playing in front of the largest home crowd of the season at 6,384.
“I will say this, a complete game from start to finish and elite execution from our guys,” UW head coach Sundance Wicks said. “I always worry about being too high and too low and where guys are at after the Utah State game and we were just right and were dialed in tonight. What really drives it home is when you walk out and see that crowd and holy cow, that is the home court advantage. The atmosphere tonight was as good as I have coached in and that is a shout out to the fans.”
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Khaden Bennett delivered the best performance of his Wyoming career, finishing with a season high 22 points and 10 rebounds for the first double-double of the season by a Cowboy. Bennett knocked down a career-high six 3-pointers and added three steals as Wyoming hit 12 shots from beyond the arc.
Damarion Dennis added 16 points, going 8-for-8 at the free throw line, while Leland Walker scored 10 points and handed out a team-high four assists. Adam Harakow chipped in nine points and five rebounds.
Wyoming shot 48 percent from 3-point range and held Colorado State to 4-of-23 shooting from deep, 17 percent, after the Rams entered the night ranked fifth nationally in 3-point percentage. The Cowboys finished at 44 percent from the field while holding CSU to 40 percent overall.
Bennett sparked Wyoming early, hitting three 3-pointers as the Cowboys jumped out to a 9-3 lead. The Rams closed within four by halftime, but Wyoming opened the second half with back-to-back 3s to regain momentum.
The Cowboys finally created separation with a 12-0 run midway through the second half, pushing the lead to 54-38. Colorado State trimmed the margin to eight late, but Wyoming sealed the game at the free-throw line.
Jevin Muniz led Colorado State with 14 points, while Kyle Jorgensen added 13.
“They had a guy that hasn’t shot well all season go 75% from 3, so sometimes that’s basketball,” CSU coach Ali Farokhmanesh said.
At halftime, Wyoming recognized tight end Evan Svoboda as the recipient of the Never Flinch Award, presented in memory of former Cowboy captain Weston Johnson.
Wyoming returns to action Tuesday with a road game at San Diego State.
