LARAMIE – Nasir (Naz) Meyer was not feeling well on Saturday.
 
That was news to head coach Sundance Wicks and the crowd of 3,211 at the Arena-Auditorium that witnessed the true freshman's 18-point performance to lead Wyoming to a 92-82 victory over Cal State Fullerton.
 
"I'm sick, so the first half I came in lazy and I was like, 'You know what, I want to win,'" said Meyer, who had five points at halftime. "I just felt like I had to be there for my teammates, guard and do everything I had to do to help us win."
 
The score was tied 38-38 at the intermission as Jefferson De La Cruz Monegro splashed a 3 at the buzzer to cap an 8-0 surge by the visitors.
 
Meyer hit a timely 3-pointer and then made a no-look over-the-shoulder pass to Abou Magassa for a dunk midway through the second half to give the Cowboys (2-0) some separation from the scrappy Titans (1-1).
 
"He wasn't feeling well?" Wicks said when asked about Meyer's gutty performance. "That's a mature freshman, because usually I know when people aren't feeling well. So, if he's not feeling well and that's how he played, I can't wait to see what he's doing when he feels good."
 
Meyer, a smooth 6-foot-7 guard, also led the Pokes with 19 points in the 99-75 win over Northern State in the opener. Wicks loves and respects his alma mater more than anyone, but he was more impressed with his team's resolve after getting tested by a talented and well coached Cal State Fullerton team.
 
Damarion Dennis (16 points) and Khaden Bennett (14 points) rose to the challenge and Adam Harakow hit a critical 3 to turn a one-possession game into a 79-73 lead for UWS with 3:11 remaining.
 
"This team has to learn how to win and learn how to close games," Wicks said. "We got in some special situations late, got to run some get-it-in late-full-court plays to get fouled. Put guys on a free throw line for them to feel a little bit of stress and pressure. These are all good things for me, because I'm not sure if you come in here and you win by 20 again that guys feel like a sense of, 'We could do this.'
 
"Now you've won a game that was a little bit in the balance. That's a big test for us early in the season."
 
The Cowboys were already working on one of their flaws after the game. Meyer and Co. returned to the court to shoot free throws in the empty arena after UW went 22-for-37 (59.5%) from the line.
 
"I've got 19 guys shooting free throws," Wicks said of the postgame scene. "We only have 15 guys on our team. I think four fans joined in just to prove that they could actually make free throws better than us."
 
Meyer finished with three of the team's 12 made 3s. The Pokes knocked down eight shots behind the arc in the second half to outlast the Titans, who scored 136 points in their opener against Caltech.
 
"They came ready to play," Wicks said of Cal State Fullerton. "We've got to keep proving that we're a team that's going to be hard to play against; 92 points on the board again with 15 missed free throws. I mean the pace is right, the tempo's right."
 
The Pokes face another tough non-conference test against Austin Peay on Tuesday at the Arena-Auditorium (6:30 p.m., Mountain West Network). The Governors (2-0) beat Air Force 74-54 on Saturday at Clune Arena.
 
"I'm just worried about us," Wicks said. "We're trying to defend the Dome, and if we can defend the Dome (of Doom), that's a feather in our cap. We have to continue to have that as a point of pride."
 
Follow Ryan for more stories on Wyoming athletics on X at @By_RyanThorburn on Facebook at Wyoming Athletics and Instagram at wyoathletics. Also follow him at Pokes Insider at Gowyo.com/pokesinsider.
 
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