WICHITA, Kan. — The Wyoming Cowboys saw their season come to an end Tuesday night with a 74-70 loss to the Wichita State Shockers in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament at Koch Arena.
Wyoming battled back in the second half but could not complete the comeback, finishing the season with an 18-15 overall record.
“We will take a lot of pride having a winning season and we will grow and build off of this,” Wyoming head coach Sundance Wicks said. “Our team has been warriors all season and I’m so proud of these guys and who they are as young men and these guys are straight up Cowboys.”
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The Cowboys shot 39 percent from the field and 36 percent from 3-point range with 10 makes, while Wichita State shot 43 percent. The Shockers controlled the glass with a 55-34 rebounding advantage, including 17 offensive rebounds that led to 18 second-chance points.
Damarion Dennis led Wyoming with 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting and added five rebounds. Nasir (Naz) Meyer scored 16 points, all in the second half, and grabbed seven rebounds. Leland Walker finished with seven points and a team-high six assists.
Wyoming fell behind early as Wichita State opened on a 10-3 run, but the Cowboys responded with a 5-0 stretch to cut the deficit to 10-8. The teams traded scoring droughts before Wyoming took a brief 14-12 lead following a 3-pointer from Uriyah Rojas, but the Shockers answered with a 9-0 run to regain control and carried a 28-24 lead into halftime.
The Cowboys trimmed the deficit to two points early in the second half, but Wichita State pushed the lead to 35-26 with a 7-0 run. Wyoming responded with steady pressure, cutting the margin to 39-36 midway through the half before Meyer’s back-to-back 3-pointers helped give the Cowboys a late lead.
The Shockers answered again and reclaimed the advantage in the final minutes. Wyoming pulled within three points multiple times down the stretch, including after a late 3-pointer from Meyer, but Wichita State converted key possessions to secure the win.
TJ Williams led Wichita State with 17 points on 8-of-13 shooting, while Kenyon Giles added 15 points.
Wyoming concludes the season with 18 wins, marking its most since the 2021-22 campaign and its first postseason appearance since that season.
