RIVERTON, WY — The Central Wyoming College Rustlers men's basketball team showcased resilience and firepower this past week, securing a convincing conference victory at home against Casper College before falling in a gritty overtime battle on the road at Gillette College.

CWC 76, Casper College 64

On Wednesday, January 14, the Rustlers ignited the home crowd at Rustler Gym with a commanding 76-64 win over the Casper College Thunderbirds. CWC utilized a strong second half, outscoring Casper 42-33 to pull away and secure the victory.

The Rustlers' offense was clicking, shooting 47.5% from the field and an impressive 90% from the free-throw line. Jordan Peel led the charge with a double-double, recording 25 points and 7 rebounds while playing all 40 minutes. Daniel Smith provided a major interior presence, contributing 16 points and 8 rebounds on an efficient 8-of-10 shooting performance. Julian Ormond also reached double figures with 13 points in the win. Defensively, the Rustlers dominated the paint, outscoring the Thunderbirds 34-28 in the key and winning the rebounding battle 32-28.

Gillette College 64, CWC 58 (OT)

The momentum followed the Rustlers to Gillette on Saturday, January 17, for a defensive slugfest at the Pronghorn Center. Despite a valiant effort that pushed the game into overtime, CWC ultimately fell 64-58.

Daniel Smith was nearly unstoppable for the Rustlers, leading the team with 24 points on 9-of-12 shooting. Jordan Peel and Tyler Jette each added 10 points to the effort. CWC held a narrow lead at halftime and fought through a back-and-forth second half, but Gillette's Rashad McCormick (24 points) and a disparity at the free-throw line proved to be the difference; the Pronghorns attempted 30 free throws compared to just 15 for the Rustlers.

Looking Ahead

With the week's split, Central Wyoming College now stands at 8-10 overall with a 1-1 mark in conference play. They will face Laramie County Community College in Riverton, WY on Wednesday, January 21 at 7:30 P.M.