LARAMIE — The Wyoming Cowboys are off to a blazing start this season, improving to 2-0 after defeating Cal State Fullerton 92-82 on Saturday night inside the Arena-Auditorium. Behind a second-half barrage of 3-pointers and balanced scoring, the Pokes now look to carry that momentum into Tuesday’s matchup against Austin Peay.
Wyoming drained eight threes in the second half and finished with 12 total, along with a season-high 19 assists. The Cowboys shot 45 percent from the field and 39 percent from deep while holding the Titans to just 19 percent from behind the arc.
“Winning is hard,” UW head coach Sundance Wicks said. “So many good things that we did tonight and tip of the cap to Fullerton, as they came ready to play. We have to keep proving we will be a hard team to play against. They got us in transition, and their pace had us on our heels in the first half. But we won the Possession game by 10 and that’s winning basketball.”
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Freshman guard Nasir “Naz” Meyer led Wyoming with 18 points, five rebounds, and four assists, including three 3-pointers. Damarion Dennis added a career-high 16 points, while Khaden Bennett scored 14, marking back-to-back games in double figures for both Bennett and Dennis.
The Cowboys built a 10-point lead midway through the first half before Cal State Fullerton rallied to tie the game 38-38 at halftime. Wyoming regained control after the break, using strong ball movement and hot shooting from deep to pull away. The Pokes’ second-half surge was capped by late 3-pointers from Dennis and Adam Harakow to seal the win.
With Saturday’s victory, Wyoming has scored 90 or more points in each of its first two games for the first time since the 1990–91 season. The Cowboys are averaging 95.5 points per game and allowing 78.5 while shooting 50 percent from the floor and 38 percent from beyond the arc.
Meyer leads Wyoming in scoring at 18.5 points per game, ranking fourth in the Mountain West. He’s also averaging 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists while shooting 60 percent from the field. Bennett is averaging 14.5 points and six rebounds, and Dennis adds 13.5 points on 61.5 percent shooting. Leland Walker leads the Cowboys with 4.5 assists per game, and Abou Magassa paces the team with 6.5 rebounds per contest.
Wyoming will host Austin Peay on Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. in Laramie. The matchup marks the first meeting between the teams since 1996 and the first ever in the Arena-Auditorium. Fans can watch live on the Mountain West Network or listen on the Cowboy Sports Network with Keith Kelly and Kevin McKinney on the call.
In Sweetwater County, you can listen to the game on KUGR 104.9 FM.
Austin Peay (2-0) enters the game after dominant wins over Bryan (128-47) and Air Force (74-54). The Governors are averaging 101 points per game and allowing just 50.5, while shooting 53 percent from the field and 41.5 percent from three-point range.
Tate McCubbin leads Austin Peay with 18 points, five rebounds, and five assists per game. Anton Brookshire adds 15 points per game, shooting 61.5 percent from deep, and Zyree Collins contributes 12.5 points per contest.
The Cowboys hold a 1-0 all-time advantage in the series, defeating Austin Peay 76-71 in Clarksville, Tennessee, in 1996.
Following Tuesday’s game, Wyoming will remain home to host Portland on Saturday at 7 p.m. on the Mountain West Network.
