LARAMIE — Wyoming delivered its most efficient offensive performance of the season Tuesday night, shooting 63 percent from the field in a 106-79 win over South Dakota at the Arena-Auditorium.
The Cowboys improved to 8-2 overall and remained undefeated at home in nonconference play under head coach Sundance Wicks, moving to 13-0 in such games.
“I haven’t stopped thinking about this South Dakota game for a year,” Wicks said. “I remember how badly we performed at their place last year with 20 turnovers and lost by one point and it is part of the way we recruited, because I wanted to have players that could handle pressure. To me this was a masterclass by our guys in a lot of ways in taking care of the basketball against the press. I’m proud of our guys doing the job tonight and that is what I’m asking our guys is do the job and don’t relent and play the scoreboard and play the right way.”
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Nasir (Naz) Meyer led Wyoming with 26 points on 11-of-15 shooting and added seven rebounds. Damarion Dennis scored a career-high 10 points. Adam Harakow added 10 points for his second straight game in double figures. Kiani Saxon finished with five points, a game-high nine rebounds and four assists.
Wyoming also shot 47 percent from 3-point range and held a 36-26 rebounding advantage. South Dakota shot 43 percent from the field and 42 percent from behind the arc.
The Cowboys opened the game quickly, scoring the first six points in the paint before consecutive 3-pointers gave them a 10-4 lead. Wyoming forced four early South Dakota turnovers to build a 14-6 advantage and later used a 9-0 run to go up 28-15 with under 10 minutes remaining in the first half.
South Dakota responded with a 10-0 run over a 90-second span to cut the deficit to 35-29, but Wyoming answered with an 8-0 surge and closed the half on a 13-3 run to take a 48-32 lead into the break.
After South Dakota trimmed the margin early in the second half, Meyer fueled a decisive run by scoring five straight points as the Cowboys pushed the lead to 65-49. Wyoming stretched the advantage to 77-51 following a 10-0 run and continued to pull away down the stretch, reaching a season-high 106 points.
Isaac Bruns led South Dakota with 22 points, while Uzziah Buntyn added 17.
Wyoming will play next Monday at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D., facing South Dakota State in a neutral-site game scheduled for 6 p.m. MT.