Meyer Sinks 19, Cowboys Roll to 99-75 Victory in Season Opener

LARAMIE -- The Wyoming Cowboys shot 55 percent from the field and scored 62 points in the paint, downing Northern State 99-75 in the season opener on Monday evening inside the Arena-Auditorium.

Head coach Sundance Wicks faced his alma mater, Northern State, as UW has won 20 of the last 22 season openers.

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“1-0 and back to 0-0 and that has been our motto,” Wicks said. “I wrote one word on the board afterwards and it was urgency. With a young team, with guys playing new roles, it's a race to maturity. So, the level of urgency we have from our older guys has to set the tone for everyone else. There were some good things that happened tonight, give credit to Northern State. This was a great first test for us.

"We were playing at a fast pace and we will take the lopsided rebounds. Good to get the win, but not happy with the process of getting the win.”

Wyoming was led in scoring by Naz Meyer with 19 points in the contest along with six rebounds. It was the most by a freshman in an opener since Marcus Williams had 20 against Mississippi Valley State in the 2020-21 season opener.

In total, Wyoming had five players in double-figures with Khaden Bennett adding 14 points and seven rebounds. Adam Harakow added 12 points with Damarion Dennis adding 11 points and Matija Belic adding 10 points. Abou Magassa added a team-high eight rebounds along with seven points.

Northern State shot 40 percent from the field. The Wolves knocked down 12 threes in the contest. Wyoming dominated the glass for the night with a 47-29 advantage with 17 offensive boards. The Pokes added 14 assists, and the bench added 48 points.

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Magassa led the Pokes early with four points and grabbed a pair of offensive boards, but the Wolves led by former Cowboy Ben Bowen would see the contest tied at 8-8 in the opening minutes. Meyer added a pair of triples, but the Wolves made five-straight shots for a 23-19 lead with under 12 minutes left in the first half.

The Pokes went on an 17-3 run making it a 36-26 game halfway through the half, as UW made five-straight shots at one point. Harakow opened the run with a steal and transition and-one. Walker added a pair of buckets during the stretch for the Pokes.

Northern State answered with a 7-0 run making it a 36-33 contest with five minutes left in the first half. The Pokes would hold the Wolves scoreless for over three minutes to take a 47-38 lead and took a 50-40 lead into the half after a triple from Harakow.

The Wolves would work the lead down to seven points in the opening four-plus minutes of the second half. The Pokes would hit back-to-back threes coming from Bennett and Meyer and took a 63-52 lead. An alley-oop one handed slam from Gavin Gores made it a 59-54 game.

Meyer added an acrobatic and-one and a transition alley-oop from Dennis made it a 76-59 game halfway through the second half. The Poke would make eight-straight buckets and built an 83-65 lead. Wyoming would continue to cruise from

The Wolves were led by Marshawn Smith with 15 points, as he hit four threes in the contest. James Glenn added 14 points also adding four triples.

The Cowboys return to action on Saturday, hosting Cal State Fullerton in a 2 p.m. start on the Mountain West Network.

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