Cowboys Drop Conference Opener to Grand Canyon at Home

The Wyoming Cowboys struggled to find their rhythm early and Grand Canyon took advantage, as UW dropped an 82–70 decision Saturday afternoon inside the Arena-Auditorium. The loss marked Wyoming’s first at home this season, moving the Cowboys to 9–3 overall and 0–1 in Mountain West play.

Wyoming endured a difficult shooting afternoon, finishing at a season-low 37 percent from the floor and just 12 percent from three-point range with three made triples. Grand Canyon was efficient offensively, shooting 57 percent overall and 39 percent from beyond the arc. The two teams combined for 36 points off turnovers, while the Lopes held a narrow 32–29 rebounding edge.

Freshman guard Nasir Meyer led Wyoming with 12 points, marking his fourth straight game in double figures, and also paced the Cowboys with six rebounds. Leland Walker finished with 13 points for his 61st career game scoring in double figures. Kiani Saxon chipped in a season-high six points, while Abou Magassa added nine points and five rebounds.

Saxon knocked down an early three-pointer, but Wyoming struggled to generate offense as Grand Canyon surged to an 18–3 lead during a prolonged Cowboy scoring drought. Walker stopped the run with a basket at the 13-minute mark of the first half. The Lopes continued their hot shooting, extending the advantage to 27–8 midway through the half while capitalizing on turnovers. Wyoming tightened defensively and held Grand Canyon without a field goal for more than four minutes, though the Lopes still carried a 32–16 lead. A late Cowboy push trimmed the margin slightly, but Grand Canyon went into halftime ahead 45–26.

Wyoming opened the second half with a 7–2 run to cut the deficit to 47–33 within the first three minutes. The Cowboys again held Grand Canyon scoreless from the field for an extended stretch, but the Lopes continued to add points at the free-throw line. A five-shot scoring burst by Grand Canyon pushed the lead to 62–40 with under 12 minutes remaining.

The Cowboys responded with a 6–0 run highlighted by a Magassa dunk to spark the Arena-Auditorium crowd. Meyer later reached double figures again to make it 67–54 with seven minutes to play, but Wyoming was unable to close the gap further as Grand Canyon controlled the final stretch to secure the 82–70 win.

Grand Canyon was led by Makiah Williams with 20 points on 6-of-9 shooting, while Jaden Henley added 18 points, also shooting 6-of-9.

Wyoming will continue conference play on the road, traveling to Air Force on Dec. 30 for a 2 p.m. matchup inside Clune Arena

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