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Cowboys Overpower Wolf Pack in First Half in 83-73 Victory

Photo by Troy Babbitt, UW Athletics
Photo by Troy Babbitt, UW Athletics

LARAMIE, Wyo. (March 3, 2026) – The Wyoming Cowboys shot 69 percent from the field in the first half, including six opening frame three-pointers from Khaden Bennett, in an 83-73 win over Nevada on Tuesday evening inside the Arena-Auditorium. It marked the 14th win in the Dome of Doom this season for the most since the 2021-22 season.

Wyoming moves to 17-13 overall and 8-11 in conference play as UW honored seniors Leland Walker, Kiani Saxon, and Matija Belic prior to the game.

"Winning season, the first one since 2021-22 and still more games to be play. But I'm proud of that locker room for guaranteeing ourselves a winning season and that is a tip of the cap to the guys in that room," UW head Coach Sundance Wicks said. "We kept fighting and the small ball lineup has won four of the last five. Don't let the Pokes get hot and we are playing pretty good basketball and that first half shows that and they did that tonight for the seniors."

Wyoming shot 63 percent from the field in the contest and 43 percent from behind the arc with nine makes. Nevada shot 46 percent from the field and 50 percent in the second half, cutting a 21-point lead to as little as seven in the closing minutes. Wyoming held a 31-28 advantage on the glass.

 


The Pokes were led by Bennett with a career-high 27 points to go along with seven rebounds and five assists, as he led the team in all three categories. Damarion Dennis added 18 points and tied a career-high six rebounds. He was 9-of-13 from the field. Gavin Gores added 11 points off the bench, with all three makes coming via the dunk. Walker added 10 points, going 3-of-3 from the field, and dished out three helpers and was +16 on the night.

The Cowboys got off to a 5-0 lead with a triple from Bennett and a jumper from Dennis. Bennett added a triple for his second, and Nasir (Naz) Meyer added one, followed by a layup from Dennis for a 13-4 lead with 17 minutes left in the first frame.

Gores threw down a huge slam that gave the Pokes a 15-4 lead. Nevada battled back, going on a 10-0 run over nearly four minutes to make it a 15-14 game with 13 minutes left in the half. Wyoming went 6-of-6



Wyoming went on a 14-0 run over four minutes, making six-straight shots for a 29-14 lead with nine minutes left in the half. Bennett added two more triples with Meyer, Rojas, and Dennis adding to the run. In total, the Pokes would hit seven straight shots.

Wyoming made four-straight shots with a fifth triple from Bennett and another slam from Gores for a 44-23 lead with two minutes left in the first half. Bennett added his sixth three-pointer of the opening frame and gave Wyoming a 49-28 lead into the break.

Nevada opened the second half on a 7-0 run, but the Pokes added a 5-0 run highlighted by an and-one from Bennett for a 54-35 game with 17 minutes left. Neither team would hit a bucket for over three minutes, with the Wolf Pack making it a 57-42 game with 14 minutes left.


The Wolf Pack made four-straight shots for a 60-48 game with just over 12 minutes left. Walker hit a step-back three that pushed the Poke lead back to 16 points at 65-49 with 10 minutes left. Nevada knocked down a three-pointer with 7:28 left to make it a 68-56 game.

Walker added a wide-open three-pointer that extended the lead to 15 points at 73-58. Nevada would make it a 10-point game at 75-65 with 3:15 remaining, making 5-of-7 shots to trim down the Cowboy lead.

Nevada made it an eight-point game at 75-67 at the free throw line with 2:34 left in the contest. Walker added a tough bucket, making it a 77-67 game 30 seconds later. Gores made it a 79-68 game at the line, but Nevada hit down a triple for an eight-point game once again with 1:18 remaining.

The Wolf Pack made a tough shot for an 80-73 game with under a minute left. Bennett would make it a 10-point game at the line with 35 seconds left, with the Pokes taking the 83-73 win.

Nevada was led by Elijah Price with 20 points, going 6-of-8 from the field. Tyler Rollison added 14 points and four helpers.

The Cowboys close the regular season with a trip to San Jose State on Saturday in a 3 p.m. start.

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