Wyoming
Colorado State basketball completes stunning comeback against Wyoming
CSU got ‘tougher’ to grab comeback win over Wyoming
CSU men’s basketball coach Ali Farokhmanesh said the Rams got tougher in the second half to pull off win over Wyoming.
A refuse-to-lose effort.
The Colorado State men’s basketball team was teetering on the edge of a really rough loss but the Rams dialed into a new level of determination to wrestle this one away.
The Rams were down 10 points in the second half to rival Wyoming on the cusp of a tough season sweep to their biggest rivals.
Then CSU buckled down and dominated the end the game to grab a 79-68 win at Moby Arena on Feb. 14.
Here are takeaways from the game.
CSU responded to Wyoming’s talk
Wyoming (13-12, 4-10 Mountain West) was full of plenty of chatter after a home win over the Rams at the end of January.
Leland Walker said the Rams “were getting the belt” and coach Sundance Wicks lauded the “sucks to be a CSU Ram” chant heard at Arena Auditorium.
This week Wicks was annoyed at a radio program that pointed out Khaden Bennett overperformed his stats in that game (he scored 22 after coming into the game just shy of 10 points per game).
Wicks also said he was displeased with a photo CSU used celebrating a win over Wyoming last season.
CSU (15-10, 6-8 MW) refused to get into a battle of words with coach Ali Farokhmanesh calling it “just another game” ahead of the second Border War.
That, obviously, is not true and CSU played like it, especially late on.
“You can’t act like it’s another game because it’s really not,” said CSU forward Carey Booth, who tied a career-high with six blocks. “Obviously, it means more. It’s great to get wins in games against Wyoming.”
Farokhmanesh wanted the team to respond with play on the court and it worked out in a strong win for the Rams.
“They were motivated,” Farokhmanesh said of his team. “I think they were motivated just in general, but yeah they were motivated. There were some things that were said that were kind of disrespectful. That’s up to them. But for us, we’re just going to play basketball and be about us and talk about us and it’s about us more than it’s about them.”
Colorado State’s toughness finishes Wyoming
Wyoming led 57-47 with 12:37 to go in the game. There was a timeout shortly after that and Farokhmanesh challenged the group to buckle down.
Buckle down they did.
Wyoming scored just 11 points the rest of the way, shooting 4-21 (19%) in the final 12-plus minutes. The Cowboys missed their final eight shots of the game and 14 of their final 15.
“I thought we got tougher. It wasn’t a whole lot of game plan stuff,” Farokhmanesh said. “We really just got tougher.”
It was a great response from the Rams.
CSU had gone down nine points in the first half as well, while also losing sharpshooter Josh Pascarelli to injury.
That minute lineups got shuffled but the Rams responded with players filling key roles.
Booth’s six blocks disrupted Wyoming and forced the Cowboys to alter drives to the lane. Jevin Muniz carried a huge workload (36 minutes) with Pascarelli injured and scored 15 points on 6-8 shooting, while also grabbing five rebounds and dishing three assists.
Kyle Jorgensen scored nine of his 11 points after halftime.
Wyoming was switching defensively, leaving the Rams with size mismatches that encouraged inside play. CSU scored 30 paint points, but also drew 26 fouls.
The Rams shot 25-30 (83%) from the line, while Wyoming had just eight free throw attempts.
“We know we’re a good 3-point shooting team, but if they’re going to switch everything we’ve got to take advantage of mismatches and keep driving the ball to the paint,” CSU guard Jase Butler said.
CSU outscored Wyoming 32-11 in the final 12:37 of the game. Wyoming shot just 32% in the second half and scored 28 points in the final 20 minutes.
Jase Butler’s growth shows in game-winning performance
Butler likely takes the crown of MVP for the game, with a career-high in points (18) and assists (six). He also had three rebounds and three steals, while hitting 11 of 12 free throws.
He was an eye-popping plus-25 in 30 minutes on the floor against Wyoming.
The sophomore is a former four-star recruit who transferred into CSU from Washington (he was recruited by CSU out of high school, too) and has become a do-it-all for the Rams.
“You just trust Jase. He’s Jalen Lake to me,” Farokhmanesh said, referencing the four-year Ram who graduated after last season.
“A lot like Jalen Lake where you trust him on the court, you trust him in those situations to make plays and he came up with every play tonight.”
Butler’s versatility is key. He had a big steal to spark the second half comeback. He can guard multiple positions, he can shoot the ball (40% on 3’s this season) and he’s one of CSU’s best cutters and drivers.
With limited minutes last season at Washington, Farokhmanesh likened the early part of this season to being Butler’s freshman season and now he’s on to being a true sophomore as his game grows.
“I thank Coach Ali for the trust in me,” Butler said. “I think the more reps I get, the better I get.”
Sports reporter Kevin Lytle can be found on social media on X, Instagram and Threads @Kevin_Lytle and on Bluesky.
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Wyoming Sun Bucks is a net gain for children, families
Dear Casper,
Rep. Ken Pendergraft’s recent column opposing the Sun Bucks program raises concerns about cost, but it does so in a way that risks giving readers an incomplete picture.
It is true that the Department of Family Services requested approximately $3.5 million for startup and operations. However, that figure represents a combined state and federal investment, split evenly. Wyoming’s share is half of that — and more importantly, those dollars are not intended to purchase food directly. They fund the administrative framework required to deliver federally funded benefits to eligible children.
Those responsibilities are not trivial. They include verifying eligibility, processing applications, maintaining technology systems, preventing fraud and ensuring benefits are accurately distributed. Without that infrastructure, the program simply cannot function, and no child would receive assistance.
The initial startup cost of $1.6 million covers one-time expenses such as building the IT system, setting up application processing, contracting with the EBT vendor that issues and loads benefit cards, and establishing temporary staffing and support systems to serve families statewide. This is not “an office for one person,” but the foundation of a program designed to reach roughly 32,000 children.
Once operational, the ongoing cost to Wyoming is estimated at about $483,000 per year in state funds. In return, the program would deliver approximately $3.84 million annually in federal food benefits to Wyoming children. That is a significant net gain for families across the state.
While the article emphasizes administrative expenses, it overlooks the scale of the benefit those costs unlock. The question is not whether administration exists — it must — but whether the outcome justifies the investment. In this case, a relatively modest state contribution enables millions in direct food assistance to flow into Wyoming communities.
Reasonable people can debate the role of government programs. But that debate should be grounded in a full accounting of both costs and benefits. When viewed in that light, the Sun Bucks program is less about bureaucracy and more about whether Wyoming chooses to participate in a federally funded effort to help ensure children have access to food during the summer months.
Mike Thompson, Chairman of the Department of Family Services Oversight Council
Evansville
Wyoming GOP endorsement of candidates
Dear Casper,
I have read about the plans for the Wyoming Republican party to endorse specific candidates in the upcoming primary election. It is my understanding that the state law currently prevents the Wyoming Republican party from officially endorsing a candidate. I agree with the party’s position that this is not in keeping with the party and its members’ First Amendment right to free speech.
However, I think that the party should be careful in exercising this right. As the purpose of the primary election is to select the candidate that the majority of the registered Republican party members feel is best suited for the position, it feels like there could be a conflict of interest in explicitly endorsing a specific candidate without receiving the input from all of the registered members of the party.
Without seeking the input of the entire Republican electorate, how will the party itself provide a fair and accurate endorsement of a candidate? I certainly hope that the party leadership is not intending to offer an endorsement on behalf of the entire party based simply on what they (the leadership) might believe. To offer such an endorsement without seeking the input from all of the party members would be anti-democratic and would invoke Orwellian images of the party which, rather than listening to and responding to the input from the party members, would tell the party members what they should think.
If the members of the party leadership wish to offer an endorsement, they should do so as individuals and should not presume to speak for the entire membership of the party, at least not before the entire Republican electorate has had a chance to provide input regarding a party-level endorsement.
To circumvent this problem, I would recommend that the Republican party hold a vote among all of its registered members to determine whom the party ought to endorse. Maybe we could hold an event where polling places are established, where party members can go to indicate their preference for that endorsement. This would provide a fair and democratic method to ensure that the Republican party’s endorsement reflects the will of the party members.
I think that there might be an event similar to what I have described scheduled for Aug. 18. Maybe the party could do more or less the same thing for their endorsement event — or just wait until then.
Carlos Buckner
Casper
Related
The 2026 Wyoming High School boys’ soccer season is close to its finish. Only three weeks remain. 4A teams will conclude the regular season, as they jockey for positions going into next week’s regional tournaments. Meanwhile, 3A schools have this week and next week left in the regular season. They are trying to reach the top four of the league standings, as those are the teams that qualify for the state tournament in two weeks.
WYOPREPS WEEK 8 BOYS SOCCER SCHEDULE 2026
Three matches this week feature ranked opponents squaring off. Sheridan will host Thunder Basin on Friday. In 3A on Saturday, top-ranked Cody is at No. 5 Mountain View, and four-rated Torrington goes to No. 2 Buffalo. Just like the ladies, you have some rivalry matches on the schedule with Rock Springs-Green River, Jackson-Star Valley, and Thunder Basin-Campbell County. Wednesday will bring new soccer rankings. This is the boys’ schedule for Week 8. Schedules are subject to change.
TUESDAY, MAY 5:
CLASS 4A
Final Score: #2 Sheridan 2 Campbell County 1 (conference match)
Final Score: Riverton 3 Natrona County 1 (conference match)
CLASS 3A
Pinedale at Rawlins – postponed to May 11 – changed to May 9 for boys’ match only!
WEDNESDAY, MAY 6:
CLASS 4A
Laramie at Cheyenne Central – postponed to May 9
Cheyenne South at Cheyenne East – postponed to May 9
Read More Soccer News from WyoPreps
WyoPreps Boys Soccer Standings on 5-4-26
WyoPreps Week 7 Boys Soccer Scores 2026
WyoPreps Coaches and Media Soccer Polls 4-29-26
Nominate a Boys Soccer Player for WyoPreps Athlete of the Week
WyoPreps Week 6 Boys Soccer Scores 2026
WyoPreps Coaches & Media Soccer Polls 4-22-26
WyoPreps Boys Soccer Standings on 4-20-26
WyoPreps Week 5 Boys Soccer Scores 2026
WyoPreps Coaches & Media Soccer Polls 4-15-26
WyoPreps Week 4 Boys Soccer Scores 2026
WyoPreps Week 3 Boys Soccer Scores 2026
WyoPreps Week 2 Boys Soccer Scores 2026
WyoPreps Week 1 Boys Soccer Scores 2026
THURSDAY, MAY 7:
CLASS 4A
Final Score: #1 Jackson 8 Star Valley 2 (conference match)
Final Score: #4 Thunder Basin 3 Campbell County 1 (conference match)
Final Score: Rock Springs 2 #5 Green River 1 (conference match)
FRIDAY, MAY 8:
CLASS 4A
Final Score: Cheyenne Central 6 Cheyenne South 0 (conference match)
Final Score: #2 Sheridan 3 #4 Thunder Basin 1 (conference match)
Final Score: #2 Kelly Walsh 6 Riverton 0 (conference match)
Final Score: Laramie 3 Cheyenne East 1 (conference match)
Final Score: Evanston 2 Natrona County 2 – TIE (conference match) – Red Devils scored with 1 second left for the draw.
CLASS 3A
Final Score: #4 Worland 1 Rawlins 0 (conference match) – Kobe Bradshaw scored the GW goal on a PK in the 1st half.
Final Score: Douglas 2 Torrington 2 (conference match) – Shootout = Torrington wins 4-3!
Final Score: #1 Cody Lyman (conference match)
Final Score: #2 Lander 3 Pinedale 0 (conference match)
Final Score: Powell 1 #5 Mountain View 0 (conference match) – Gianrey Dallesandro with the GW-goal, assisted by Ethan Frame.
Final Score: #3 Buffalo 1 Newcastle 0 (conference match) – forfeit win for the Bison.
SATURDAY, MAY 9:
CLASS 4A
Laramie at Cheyenne Central, 11 a.m. (conference match)
Evanston at #2 Kelly Walsh, noon (conference match)
Cheyenne South at Cheyenne East, noon (conference match)
Riverton at Natrona County, noon (conference match)
Rock Springs at Star Valley, 1 p.m. (conference match)
CLASS 3A
Pinedale at Rawlins, 11 a.m.
#1 Cody at #5 Mountain View, noon (conference match)
Powell at Lyman, noon (conference match)
Torrington at #3 Buffalo, 2 p.m. (conference match)
#4 Worland at Douglas, 2 p.m. (conference match)
Final Score: Rawlins 1 Newcastle 0 (conference match) – forfeit win for the Outlaws.
Cheyenne Central vs. Cheyenne East HS Softball 2026
The Indians faced the rival Thunderbirds on April 15, 2026
Gallery Credit: David Settle, WyoPreps.com
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