Wyoming Basketball Recap: Cowboys Win Big, Cowgirls Fall Short in Season Openers

— It was a tale of two openers for the University of Wyoming basketball programs Monday night inside the Arena-Auditorium. The Cowboys kicked off the Sundance Wicks era in emphatic fashion, defeating Concordia, St. Paul 108-85, while the Cowgirls dropped a defensive battle to Colorado, 56-50, in a hard-fought contest.

Cowboys Dominate Paint, Cruise to 108-85 Victory

The Wyoming Cowboys were unstoppable inside, scoring 78 points in the paint and out-rebounding Concordia, St. Paul by 20 in a commanding 108-85 win. Six Cowboys finished in double figures, led by Obi Agbim with 25 points and six assists. Wyoming also set a new Arena-Auditorium record with 45 made field goals, surpassing the previous record of 44 set in 1989.

"It feels like a win, and winning is hard, so we're going to celebrate this one," said head coach Sundance Wicks after his first victory with Wyoming.

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Center Scottie Ebube added 19 points on 9-of-12 shooting, while Jordan Nesbitt notched a double-double with 11 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. The Cowboys' bench contributed 68 points as they shot 54 percent from the field, including an impressive 69 percent in the second half.

Wyoming's defense held the Golden Bears to 39 percent shooting, but Concordia, St. Paul managed to keep the game close in the first half with hot shooting from beyond the arc. Wyoming led 51-45 at the break before pulling away in the second half, thanks to dominant play inside and on the glass.

Concordia, St. Paul was led by Antwan Kimmons and Ben Kopetzki, who both scored 20 points, with Kimmons adding nine rebounds.

The Cowboys will host Tennessee State on Sunday, Nov. 10 at 2 p.m.

Cowgirls Fall to Colorado in Physical Season Opener

The Wyoming Cowgirls opened their season with a gritty defensive contest against Colorado, but the Buffaloes pulled away late to secure a 56-50 win. Wyoming led for much of the first half, but turnovers and struggles on the boards proved costly in the second half.

After leading 24-18 at halftime, the Cowgirls saw Colorado crash the offensive glass and take control in the third quarter. The Buffs built a lead and held off a late Wyoming rally, fueled by Allyson Fertig's 18 points and five rebounds.

"Defensively, I thought we did everything we needed to, but we shot ourselves in the foot with turnovers and giving up too many offensive rebounds," said head coach Heather Ezell.

Both teams shot under 40 percent from the field. Wyoming went just 3-of-15 from beyond the arc, while Colorado shot 1-of-10 from deep. The Buffs, however, capitalized on a 45-34 rebounding advantage, including 17 offensive boards, which led to a 12-5 edge in second-chance points.

Tess Barnes added 13 points and seven rebounds for the Cowgirls, while Emily Mellema chipped in eight points and four steals.

Wyoming looks to rebound this Saturday in Provo against BYU at 2 p.m.