Wyoming
BYU basketball: Cougars rely on their defense to throttle Wyoming at the Delta Center
Whenever BYU and former conference rival Wyoming tangle in any sport, the results are never all that pretty for either side.
So when BYU star Richie Saunders collided with Wyoming’s Jordan Nesbitt early in Saturday night’s nonconference basketball game in front of 11,217 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City and got the worst of it, suffering a bloody and lacerated lip that would keep him out the remainder of the contest, it appeared it was going to be another one of those classic Cougars-Cowboys contests.
BYU’s defense, led by specialist Mawot Mag, a seldom-used transfer from Rutgers, had other ideas.
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Not known for its defensive prowess in its previous nine games, BYU upped the intensity on that end of the floor almost the entire 40 minutes and ran away with a 68-49 win to improve to 8-2 and push its winning streak over Wyoming to 15 games.
The 49 points tied 5-5 Wyoming’s lowest output of the season, the other coming in a 96-49 loss at Texas Tech.
“It was a good win. I thought our defensive execution was outstanding. They are a team that gets to the line quite a bit,” said BYU coach Kevin Young.
““I thought we forced them into some shots that they are not comfortable taking, then kept them off the free-throw line. That was really the key to the game. I am happy with the defensive execution more than anything.”
With BYU leading 4-0 and Saunders heading to the locker room with head athletic trainer Rob Ramos, Young turned to Dawson Baker and then Mag, and the duo displayed the depth that the Cougars will need to rely on all the more when they get into Big 12 play.
Young called Mag’s performance “inspiring” and said it was the difference in the game. The graduate transfer who was raised in Australia had season-highs across the board: 11 points (on 4 of 5 shooting), three rebounds in 23 minutes.
“I just told the team that it was (huge),” Young said. “He has been dealt a tough hand here, coming back off an injury and he just hasn’t found his footing, and I have not given him much opportunity to find his footing, so he has had to grind through stuff as a guy who has played major minutes at a major college basketball level and has had a great attitude and it was just really inspiring what he did.”
Wyoming would appear to be rather average by Mountain West standards, but consider that the Cowboys lost their last three games by a combined seven points, and on Dec. 4 in Logan, they pushed undefeated Utah State to the brink before the Aggies won, 70-67.
Offensively, the Cowboys are on the explosive side despite playing at a slower pace than most opponents BYU has faced this season. Obi Agbim scored a game-high 21 points, but no other Cowboys reached double figures.
“His defense was tremendous,” Young said of Mag, “and they were daring him to shoot shots. He took good shots and made them (3 of 4 from 3-point range for the career 27% 3-point shooter). “That kid he was guarding out there is a good player. I thought our guys rallied around it and it was a cool moment for our team.”
What was the key to Mag’s success?
“Just staying ready. Coach always tries to tell us if things are not going your way, just stay ready,” Mag said. “It is a long season and we have a lot of talent.
“There can only be a certain amount of people on the floor. Just stay ready and get better every day and just wait your turn because you never know.”
With freshman Egor Demin watching from the bench for the second straight game with a knee contusion and Saunders exiting early, it fell upon Trevin Knell and Baker to pick up the scoring slack, and that’s what they did.
Knell went 6 for 7 for 15 points in 28 minutes, while Baker had 11 points, five rebounds and two assists. Young said Saunders “will continue to be evaluated” and didn’t have any other details on the injury that drew blood and silenced the Delta Center crowd for a good minute before he was helped to his feet.
“Richie’s injury was unfortunate, but everybody stepped up, including myself and Eli (Crawford),” Mag said. “I am just glad we came out here and got the W.”
Added Baker: “No matter who it is, when someone goes down it is just our instincts as brothers to get behind each other and push forward and that’s what we did tonight. I am really excited and proud of the guys.”
That BYU would get its eighth win wasn’t really in question early as the Cougars jumped out to an 11-0 lead, but Young’s squad seemed to lose interest a bit after building a 30-16 advantage with 7:20 remaining in the first half and only scored four points on their last 10 possessions of the half, allowing Wyoming to scratch back and make it 34-25 at halftime.
BYU scored 27 points in the first 10 minutes of the first half and just seven points in the last 10 minutes of the half. Credit the Cowboys for dictating the tempo the last 10 minutes of the first half.
“That last four-minute stretch (of the first half) wasn’t great for us offensively,” Young acknowledged. “Weird combinations, probably poor subbing on my part. I will have to look at the film to see exactly what (happened). We couldn’t find a rhythm, execution was poor.”
The second half was a different story. With Knell and Mag drilling 3-pointers, the Cougars quickly regained control and had a 56-37 lead with just under 10 minutes remaining on a Baker layup.
“Outside of the first play of the half, I thought we executed extremely well in the second half,” Young said. “I don’t think the stats will show it. How many layups did we miss at the basket? It felt like a bunch after running some really good offense. I thought the execution was much better, though.”
BYU took much better care of the ball in the second half after committing eight turnovers in the first half. The Cougars finished with 13, but a few of those came in garbage time.
They adjusted well to an NBA arena as well, making 9 of 20 3-point attempts (45%) and shooting 52% from the field, despite the plethora of missed bunnies that Young referenced.
BYU’s bench outscored Wyoming’s bench 37-14 and the Cougars enjoyed a 24-18 advantage in the paint.
“We gotta continue to compete against some of the power conference teams to continue to learn about ourselves, but I think our defensive identity particularly in the last two games is really starting to come together,” Young said.
“Offensively we are playing the way I would like us to play, for the most part. … We are one game away from Big 12 play so we gotta do it in short order, but so far we are getting closer.”
The Cougars’ next game is Friday against Florida A&M at the Marriott Center.
A pair of bills signed into law last week aim to build out a more comprehensive system of literacy education across Wyoming’s public schools.
One mandates evidence-based practices and requires regular screenings for dyslexia, while the other enables the Wyoming Department of Education (WDE) to hire a dedicated literacy professional to oversee statewide compliance.
Gov. Mark Gordon’s signing of both bills on Friday was the latest accomplishment of an ongoing push for improved literacy standards. That push has been spearheaded by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder.
“Wyoming is not going to let a single child fall through the cracks,” Degenfelder said during a public bill signing last week. “We are not going to fall behind when it comes to ensuring that our children can read at grade level.”
The primary bill, Senate File 59, establishes a statewide K-12 program for teaching students to read that is built on “evidence based language and literacy instruction, assessment, intervention and professional development that supports educators, engages families and promotes literacy proficiency for all Wyoming students.”
The bill defines evidence-based strategies as those that conform to the science of reading, a term that will be defined and updated by Degenfelder’s office. Nationwide, it generally means putting academic research into practice in classrooms. SF 59 specifically prohibits the exclusive use of “three-cueing” — a strategy once widely employed to teach reading but which education experts now say is outdated and less effective than other strategies.
It also requires annual dyslexia screeners for students below the third grade, and testing for reading difficulties for all students.
The screeners are used to identify the severity of reading difficulties in order to direct “tiered” support that offers the most intensive interventions to the students most in need, while still providing “evidence based” language instruction to all students.
Each school district must formulate an individualized reading plan “for each student identified as having reading difficulties or at risk for poor reading outcomes.”
Districts must now report to the state annually regarding their literacy-related work. Any district where 60% or more of the students are struggling will be required to implement “summer literacy camps or extended supports, including after school support and tutoring.”
The bill also requires literacy related professional development for teachers and specialists “appropriate to their role and level of responsibility” related to literacy education.
SF 59 was backed by dyslexia advocates and literacy specialists.
Senate File 14, the other literacy bill signed into law Friday, appropriates $120,000 annually for the next two years for a full-time position at WDE “to assist school districts in implementing a reading assessment and intervention program and language and literacy programs.”
Both bills go into effect July 1.
LARAMIE — The University of Wyoming and the Mountain West Conference announced the Cowboys’ 2026 football schedule Monday, a slate that opens with the Border War and concludes with back-to-back home games in Laramie.
Wyoming opens the season Sept. 5 on the road against Colorado State in the 118th edition of the Border War. The Cowboys then host Northern Colorado on Sept. 12 in the home opener before traveling to Central Michigan on Sept. 19.
The Cowboys begin Mountain West play Sept. 26 at home against Hawaii in a matchup for the Paniolo Trophy. Wyoming then faces back-to-back road games at North Dakota State on Oct. 3 and San Jose State on Oct. 10.
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Wyoming returns to War Memorial Stadium on Oct. 17 to host conference newcomer Northern Illinois before facing Air Force at home on Oct. 24. The Cowboys will have an open week on Oct. 31.
The Cowboys open November with road games at UNLV on Nov. 7 and at UTEP on Nov. 14, marking Wyoming’s first meeting with the Miners as members of the Mountain West. Wyoming closes conference play by hosting New Mexico on Nov. 21 and wraps up the regular season with a nonconference game against UConn on Nov. 28 in Laramie.
Each Mountain West team will play four home and four road conference games during the 13-week season, which will conclude with the Mountain West Football Championship Game featuring the two teams with the highest conference winning percentages. The championship game date will be announced later.
With the conference schedule set, Mountain West television partners CBS Sports, FOX Sports, and The CW will begin selecting broadcast games, which could include moving some contests to non-Saturday dates. Network assignments and kickoff times will be announced at a later date.
Season ticket renewals for the 2026 Wyoming football season are now available. Fans can renew their tickets online by visiting gowyo.com/tickets and logging into their account.
The 2026 Wyoming prep girls’ basketball season is nearly done. Two state champions were crowned in Classes 1A and 2A last Saturday. Southeast won the 1A title for the third consecutive season, and Sundance won the 2A title for the first time in eight years. Class 3A and 4A held their regional tournaments, which qualified teams for the state tournament later this week in Casper.
WYOPREPS WEEK 12 GIRLS BASKETBALL STANDINGS 2026
These are the girls’ basketball team records for all games played through March 7, 2026. For all but 16 teams, this is the final record of the season. Those squads will play in the 3A-4A state tournament starting on Thursday in Casper.
1A Northwest: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Burlington 24-5, 8-0
Riverside 14-10, 6-2
Dubois 11-10, 4-4
St. Stephens 3-16, 1-7
Meeteetse 1-20, 1-7
1A Southwest: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Cokeville 23-4, 10-0
Little Snake River 23-4, 8-2
Farson-Eden 16-12, 5-5
Saratoga 13-11, 5-5
Ft. Washakie 8-13, 2-8
Encampment 3-19, 0-10
1A Northeast: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Upton 16-7, 10-0
Kaycee 13-12, 7-3
Hulett 12-13, 7-3
Arvada-Clearmont 9-12, 4-6
Casper Christian 4-13, 2-8
Midwest 1-16, 0-10
1A Southeast: (Overall Record, followed by Reg. Season Points)
Southeast 24-5, 40 points
Lingle-Ft. Laramie 17-11, 31 points
Lusk 15-13, 26 points
H.E.M. 13-11, 24 points
Rock River 6-14, 12 points
Guernsey-Sunrise 2-18, 4 points
2A Northwest: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Thermopolis 16-13, 5-1
Greybull 16-15, 4-2
Rocky Mountain 9-17, 2-4
Shoshoni 11-18, 1-5
2A Southwest: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Wyoming Indian 23-7, 6-0
Big Piney 8-16, 4-2
Kemmerer 2-21, 1-5
Wind River 2-23, 1-5
2A East: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Sundance 23-4, 5-0
Big Horn 21-6, 4-1
Tongue River 18-11, 3-2
Pine Bluffs 17-12, 2-3
Moorcroft 7-18, 1-4
Wright 3-23, 0-5
Read More Girls Basketball News from WyoPreps
WyoPreps 1A-2A Girls State Basketball Scoreboard 2026
WyoPreps 3A-4A Girls Regional Basketball Scoreboard 2026
WyoPreps Coaches and Media Final Basketball Poll 2026
WyoPreps 1A-2A Girls Regional Basketball Scoreboard 2026
WyoPreps Coaches and Media Basketball Poll 2-25-26
WyoPreps Girls Basketball Week 10 Scores 2026
WyoPreps Coaches and Media Basketball Poll 2-18-26
WyoPreps Girls Basketball Week 9 Scores 2026
WyoPreps Coaches and Media Basketball Polls 2-11-26
WyoPreps Girls Basketball Week 8 Scores 2026
WyoPreps Coaches and Media Basketball Polls 2-4-26
WyoPreps Girls Basketball Week 7 Scores 2026
Nominate A Basketball Player for the WyoPreps Athlete of the Week Honor
3A West: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Cody 24-0, 10-0
Lander 21-4, 9-1
Pinedale 20-5, 7-3
Powell 16-9, 6-4
Lovell 16-10, 4-6
Worland 9-16, 2-8
Lyman 10-11, 2-8
Mountain View 4-19, 0-10
3A East: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Wheatland 22-4, 10-0
Buffalo 13-11, 8-2
Douglas 14-11, 6-4
Burns 16-13, 5-5
Torrington 10-11, 5-5
Glenrock 12-13, 3-7
Newcastle 1-22, 1-9
Rawlins 2-21, 0-10
4A Northwest: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Green River 23-2, 6-0
Natrona County 9-16, 4-2
Kelly Walsh 8-15, 2-4
Rock Springs 5-20, 0-6
4A Southwest: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Star Valley 16-7, 5-1
Evanston 16-10, 5-1
Riverton 7-19, 1-5
Jackson 3-19, 1-5
4A East: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Cheyenne East 21-3, 11-1
Cheyenne Central 16-9, 10-2
Sheridan 14-10, 7-5
Thunder Basin 14-10, 6-6
Laramie 12-11, 6-6
Campbell County 1-19, 1-10
Cheyenne South 1-21, 0-11
*The second Campbell County-Cheyenne South girls’ game was canceled.
Wyoming 3A Boys Swimming & Diving State Championships 2026
Photos from the 3A Boys State Swim Meet
Gallery Credit: Courtesy: Marcello Monterastelli Photography & Jared Newland, WHSAA
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