top of page
Search

Cowboys Battle Back, But Wichita State Holds On in 74-70 Thriller

Photo courtesy of UW Athletics
Photo courtesy of UW Athletics

WICHITA, Kan. (March 17, 2026) – The Wyoming Cowboys season came to an end on Tuesday evening falling to Wichita State 74-70 in the First Round of the National Invitation Tournament inside Koch Arena in Wichita, Kan. The Pokes battled back in the second half but fell just short to finish the season 18-15 overall.

“We will take a lot of pride having a winning season and we will grow and build off of this,” UW 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.”

 


Wyoming shot 39 percent from the field in the contest and shot 36 percent from behind the arc with 10 makes. Wichita State shot 43 percent from the field and shot 28 percent from behind the arc. WSU dominated the glass with a 55-34 advantage with 17 offensive rebounds and added 18 second chance points.

The Cowboys were led by Damarion Dennis 17 points along with five rebounds going 7-of-9 from the field. Nasir (Naz) Meyer added 16 points all in the second half and grabbed seven rebounds for the game. Leland Walker added seven points and a team-high six assists.


The Shockers would get a pair of early buckets, but an offensive board from Dennis followed by a free throw from Khaden Bennett made it a 4-3 game in the first two and a half minutes. The Pokes went scoreless for over three minutes, as the Shockers made it a 10-3 game.

The Pokes went on a 5-0 with a three from Uriyah Rojas and layup from Bennett for a 10-8 contest. Both teams went scoreless later in the half for over three minutes, but a three from Walker made it a 12-11 game for WSU with under 10 minutes left in the half.

Rojas hit another three this time off a slick pass from Meyer, as Wyoming held WSU scoreless for nearly five minutes and took a 14-12 lead. Wichita State went on a 9-0 run over four minute and took a 21-14 lead with under five minutes left in the first half.


WSU moved the lead eight points, but a dunk from Gavin Gores and a three from Dennis made it a four-point game. That is the lead that the Shockers took into the half at 28-24, as UW was held to 28 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes.

Dennis made it a two-point game to open the half, but Wichita State went on a 7-0 run for a 35-26 lead with just over 18 minutes remaining. The Pokes pushed it to a 38-32 game making three-straight shots with buckets from Walker and Kiani Saxon.

Wyoming held the Shockers without a free throw for over four minutes and made it a three-point game at 39-36 with 14 minutes left. WSU pushed the lead back to six points, but a Gores three made it three points once again.

Nasir (Naz) Meyer hit back-to-back threes for a 50-59 lead for the Pokes with under seven and a half minutes left. The Shockers would respond to take the lead right back and would take a 54-52 lead with under six minutes left.

Meyer tied the game, but a 5-0 run by the Shockers made it a 59-54 game with under four minutes left. Walker made it a three-point game at the free throw line with under three minutes remaining.

Wichita State pushed the lead back to six, but another Meyer three made it a 66-63 game with under a minute left. But the Shockers moved the lead back to five. Meyer made it a 68-65 game at the line with 13 seconds left. Meyer later hit a three

The Shockers were led by TJ Williams with 17 points, as he went 8-of-13 from the field. Kenyon Giles one the nation’s best shooters added 15 points.

Wyoming finishes the season with a 18-15 overall record making their first postseason appearance since 2021-22, as it also marked the most wins since that campaign.

Don't forget to sign up for our email list, and follow us on our socials!


Subscribe to receive our newsletter here (no spam, we promise): Subscribe



X (formerly known as Twitter): https://x.com/Pokes_News

Comments

bottom of page