BOSLER, Wyo. (Interstat) — The Wyoming Cowboys dominated the South Dakota Coyotes 106-79 in a men’s nonconference basketball game Tuesday night at Arena-Auditorium. Wyoming improved to 8-2, while South Dakota fell to 5-6. A crowd of 3,643 saw the Cowboys control the game from the start, leading 48-32 at halftime. They extended their advantage after the break, outscoring the Coyotes 58-47 in the second half. The Cowboys’ offense proved efficient, easily covering the pregame spread as a heavy favorite. The combined score sailed over the projected total. Wyoming next plays at South Dakota State on Dec. 15. South Dakota hosts Prairie View on Dec. 13.

BOSLER, Wyo. (Interstat) — The Wyoming Cowboys, led by a dominant second-half surge from Nasir Meyer, overwhelmed the South Dakota Coyotes 106-79 in a nonconference men’s basketball game Tuesday night at Arena-Auditorium. A crowd of 3,643 watched the Cowboys improve to 8-2, while the Coyotes fell to 5-6. The game’s decisive sequence came early in the second half, transforming what had been a competitive contest into a runaway. Wyoming led 48-32 at halftime but saw its advantage trimmed to 10 points after South Dakota’s Isaac Bruns converted three free throws with 16:22 remaining, making the score 58-48. From that moment, the Cowboys unleashed a devastating 19-2 run over the next four minutes to seize complete control. Meyer, a 6-foot-7 guard from Los Angeles, was the catalyst, scoring eight points during the burst. He started it with a 3-pointer, added a layup off a Leland Walker assist, and capped his personal flurry with another 3-pointer, this one assisted by Damarion Dennis, to push the lead to 72-50 with 12:19 left. The run also included a flagrant foul on South Dakota’s Vince Buzelis, which led to four Wyoming free throws, and an Adam Harakow layup. South Dakota, which shot well in the second half with 47 points, could not mount a response against Wyoming’s relentless offense. The Cowboys scored 58 points after halftime, shooting efficiently from the floor and capitalizing on 13 Coyotes turnovers in the period. Meyer finished as the game’s high scorer with 26 points in just 25 minutes, adding a steal. He was complemented perfectly by Dennis, a guard from San Antonio, who contributed 21 points and two assists, also in 25 minutes. Their backcourt tandem proved too dynamic for South Dakota’s defense. Harakow, from Edmonton, Canada, added 10 points off the bench for Wyoming. The Coyotes were led by Bruns, a guard from North Sioux City, South Dakota, who scored 22 points. Uzziah Buntyn of Round Rock, Texas, added 17 points and two assists, while Jesse Mcintosh from Melbourne, Australia, chipped in 15 points. Wyoming set the tone from the opening tip, scoring the game’s first seven points and never trailing. While South Dakota stayed within striking distance for much of the first half, trailing 48-32 at the break, the Cowboys’ explosive run early in the second half extinguished any hope of a comeback. The Cowboys’ depth was also on display, with nine players scoring at least six points. Matija Belic of Belgrade, Serbia, had nine points, Walker from Indianapolis dished out four assists to go with seven points, and Gavin Gores of Cumberland, Wisconsin, had six points, three assists and three steals. Uriyah Rojas added eight points. Wyoming’s victory exceeded pregame expectations, as the Cowboys were installed as an 11.5-point favorite. The combined score of 185 points sailed over the over/under line of 156.5. The game was part of a challenging stretch for South Dakota, which has lost three of its last four games, including an overtime loss at Northern Colorado on Saturday. The Coyotes will look to rebound at home against Prairie View on Saturday. Wyoming, winners of two straight since a road loss at Texas Tech, will travel to face South Dakota State in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on Monday. The Cowboys’ next home game is against Grand Canyon on Dec. 20. According to National Statistical’s ELO system, Wyoming entered the game with a 79.70 percent probability to win.

Preview: South Dakota Coyotes at Wyoming Cowboys BOSLER, Wyo. (Interstat) — The Wyoming Cowboys, riding high with one of the stronger starts in the Mountain West, will look to protect their home court when they host the South Dakota Coyotes in a nonconference men’s basketball game Tuesday night at Arena-Auditorium. Wyoming (7-2) has won six of its last seven, including a 93-80 victory over Dartmouth last Saturday. The Cowboys’ offense has been potent, averaging 84.2 points per game and scoring 93 or more in four contests this season. Guard Leland Walker has been a catalyst, averaging 18.2 points over his last six games. He is coming off an efficient 18-point, four-assist performance in the win over Dartmouth. South Dakota (5-5) seeks consistency after a back-and-forth opening month. The Coyotes are coming off a heartbreaking 89-87 overtime loss at Northern Colorado on Saturday. In that game, guard Isaac Bruns continued his explosive scoring streak with 28 points. Over his last three games, Bruns has averaged 28.0 points, including a pair of 28-point outings in consecutive losses. The matchup features a contrast in momentum. Wyoming’s two losses are by a combined 12 points, including a narrow 76-72 defeat at Texas Tech. South Dakota has alternated wins and losses over its past seven games and has struggled on the road, with blowout losses at Missouri and the recent tight defeat at Northern Colorado. For the Coyotes to pull the upset, they will need another high-output night from Bruns and must find a way to slow a balanced Wyoming attack that has seen four different players lead the team in scoring this season. The Cowboys will aim to leverage their home-court advantage and superior record to contain Bruns and control the tempo. This is the final nonconference home game for Wyoming before it begins Mountain West play in January. South Dakota continues a tough road stretch before returning home Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. MST Tuesday.