LARAMIE – It was Wyoming's flu game.
 
The Cowboys didn't have a spectacular Michael Jordan-like individual performance, but the collective came through with what Sundance Wicks described as a "gutsy" 93-80 comeback win over Dartmouth on Saturday in front of an appreciative crowd of 3,422 at the Arena-Auditorium.
 
Leland Walker finished with a team-high 18 points on 8-for-12 shooting. Adam Harakow added 16 points, including a basket that finally give UW a second-half lead and a clutch 3-pointer down the stretch, and Khaden Bennett chipped in with 14 points and five steals.
 
All of the above were hooked up to IVs on Friday and were questionable to even play as the flu made its way through the roster.
 
"What I've learned is to not underestimate any of these cats," Wicks said. "At any point, these guys are going to figure out a way to win, and they're finding ways to win differently. They're more resilient than you give them credit for.
 
"We recruited the right guys. That's one thing I know."
 
Based on health, most of the IV crew came off the bench.
 
One starter feeling less under the weather, 6-foot-7 freshman guard Nasir (Naz) Meyer, helped UW win the rebounding battle by grabbing a team-high eight boards to go with his 14 points. Jared Harris added 11 more points off the bench, including an exclamation point dunk in the final seconds, as Wicks' reserves outscored Dartmouth's 63-8.
 
This was a culture win for the Pokes, who trailed 40-39 at the intermission and by as many as seven points in the second half.
 
"I thought we had a good team last year with some talented guys, but to know that I've got a locker room full of guys who are going to find a way, that's different," said Wicks, who had more time to build this team in his second season as head coach. "That's different for me, and that's different for us."
 
The Cowboys (7-2), who improved to 7-0 at home, gained confidence from last Sunday's 76-72 loss at No. 20 Texas Tech. The feeling in the locker room, beyond illness, was that they should have beat the Red Raiders in Lubbock.
 
Despite giving up 12 made 3s and allowing the Big Green (3-4) to shoot 48% from beyond the arc, while also watching the visitors knock down 20 of 23 free throws (87%), UW found enough energy for a late surge.
 
"We just put it all behind us and went out and played," Walker said. "I put it all in the court in this game. I just wanted to play as hard as I could."
 
For a few moments with the game in the balance late, the Arena-Auditorium felt like the Dome of Doom again.
 
Wicks, who has built competitive team that plays an entertaining brand of basketball, believes the fan support other Mountain West contenders enjoy is something his players will experience this season.
 
"I loved it. It felt bigger than 3,400," Wicks said of the crowd. "We got a defense chant going at some point. The deejay got a defense chant going. I'm like, 'Let's go!' I'm not sure we guarded anybody but at least we did the chant. I was excited to get a chant going at the Double-A. It's a sign of things to come."
 
The Cowboys will play their final non-conference home game against South Dakota on Tuesday (6:30 p.m., MW Network).
 
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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