Vinnie Shahid and Trent Harris combined for 46 points and the Cougars connected on 15 3-pointers in racing to a 102-70 win over Casper College Tuesday evening at Cougar Palace.

                Shahid led all scorers with 26 points while burying 10 of 11 free throws. Harris finished the night with 20 points and five 3-pointers.

                The win moves the Cougars, who received votes in the first NJCAA poll that was released earlier Tuesday, to 9-2 on the season.

                Harris said the team played well, especially in the first half where the Cougars offense and defense was stellar. The Cougars held a 40-19 halftime lead.

                "We practice so much defense and offense and we work harder on that than most of the teams in the country," the Scottsbluff graduate said. "We just transfer it to the games and it works out for us. We just defend as much as possible. We pick up full court and do anything possible to stop the ball."

                The Cougars definitely did that in the first half. WNCC trailed early 9-6 but went on an 18-0 run behind two Harris 3-pointers for a 24-9 lead. The Cougars closed out the half on a 9-0 run for the 40-19 halftime lead.

                WNCC never let up in the second half either and the game was never in doubt. WNCC went on a 11-0 run in the first five minutes that saw Harris collect another trey and Marlon Sierra slam home the ball for a 561-32 lead.

                WNCC pushed the lead to 40 points, 93-53  and hit the century mark for the fifth straight game on a Austin Hoffman 3-pointer. The Cougars are one of the top 10 highest scoring teams in the nation.

                WNCC put four players in double digits. After Shahid and Harris, Djodje Dimitrijevic had 17 points and three treys, while Sierra had 14 points.

                Harris said this team has so many offensive weapons.

                "Everybody on the team can score," he said. "Practices are so competitive. Whoever is open, we want them to shoot it because we trust anybody with the ball."

                WNCC will finish the first semester home slate with a Region IX South sub-region game with Eastern Wyoming College on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The Cougars will then wrap up the first semester the next weekend with road trips to Western Wyoming and Central Wyoming.

Casper                  19 51 – 70

WNCC (9-2)         40 62 – 102

CASPER

Damian Wilson 7, Octavon Corley 7, Ayo Nuwe 1, Chase Winchester 6, Levy Miguel 12, Blake Godwin 3, Jackson Stent 1, Zion Tordoff 2, Nolan Bertain 14, Antun Maricevic 17.

WNCC

Trent Harris 20, Vinnie Shahid 26, Bryce Sanchious 9, Marlon Sierra 14, Marko Rajanovic 6, Austin Hoffman 3, Jervay Green 5, Djodje Dimitrijevic 17, Martin Roub 2.