Cowboys Shut Down Bengals for 93-62 Victory
courtesy photo
Naz Meyer scores 18 points, Renars Sondors adds 14 points to lead Wyoming
LARAMIE, Wyoming (11/6/26) – Wyoming will head to Tobacco Road with confidence after starting the season with two dominant home wins.
The Cowboys (2-0) followed up their 95-48 victory over Regis in Tuesday's opener by overwhelming Idaho State 93-62 on Friday night in front of a crowd of 3,393 at the Arena-Auditorium.
Nasir (Naz) Meyer finished with 18 points and nine rebounds and Renars Sondors added 14 points off the bench with four made 3-pointers to lead a balanced UW attack.
"It was exciting," Meyer said. "I was up off the bench every time (Sondors) hit a 3."
The Bengals (0-2), who opened the season with a 94-58 loss at Utah State, were held to 31% shooting and out-rebounded 50-27 by UW.
The Pokes also turned 14 turnovers into 25 points and finished with a 23-11 advantage in second-chance points and a 19-2 advantage in fast-break points.
Gavin Gores started a 9-0 run to open the second half with a three-point play and a dunk. Meyer and Sondors buried back-to-back 3-pointers to extend the lead to 73-37 with 9:41 remaining.
Twelve different Pokes scored including freshman walk-on Kelan Gruver, who buried a 3 with 1:35 left to make the score 91-57.
"It felt great," Sondors said. "I still have to improve my defense and prove that I can guard so I can help the team more."
UW led 44-20 at the intermission after shooting 50% from the field with five made 3s and holding the Bengals to 21% shooting and 1-for-7 behind the arc. Idaho State didn't make its 10th field goal until the 14:53 mark of the second half.
Gores finished an 8-0 run with a thunderous dunk to give the Cowboys a 14-4 lead with 11:10 remaining in the first half.
Meyer capped another 8-0 spurt with a dunk and finished with 11 points in the first half. Sondors made three 3s for nine points before the break.
The Pokes had a 30-12 rebounding edge and outscored Idaho State 13-2 in fast-break points during the first half.
"I thought in the first half we did a great job defensively. We had seven turkeys, which is three stops in a row. That's unheard of," Meyer said. "But we've got to carry that over in the second half."
UW improved its record in the all-time series, which dates back to 1936, to 15-8 overall and 8-1 in Laramie. The Cowboys won the previous matchup with Idaho State 54-40 on Nov. 5, 2019, at the Arena-Auditorium.
The Cowboys will play their first road game of the season at North Carolina on Tuesday in the Dean E. Smith Center (5 p.m., ACC Network).
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