POWELL, Wyo. (Interstat) — The Northwest Trappers used a dominant first quarter to seize control and never looked back, defeating the Eastern Wyoming Lancers 88-65 in a men’s junior college basketball game Saturday.

Northwest, improving to 8-6, exploded for 51 points in the opening period, building a commanding 27-point lead that Eastern Wyoming, now 3-16, could not overcome. The Trappers’ offensive efficiency was the story, as they scored 88 points on 73 possessions for an offensive rating of 121.0, far surpassing the Lancers’ 89.3 rating on the same number of trips.

The game’s decisive stretch came early. After a slow start for both teams, Northwest’s Mateo Trujillo ignited a 22-2 run with a trio of three-pointers. Trujillo scored 11 points during the surge, which was capped by a Braydon Bradshaw tip-in that gave the Trappers a 33-11 lead and forced an Eastern Wyoming timeout with 10:20 remaining in the first quarter. The Lancers struggled with turnovers and cold shooting throughout the period, committing seven giveaways and shooting 10 of 27 from the field while Northwest connected on 14 of 32 attempts.

Bradshaw, the top star for Northwest, posted a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds in just 21 minutes. Trujillo led all scorers with 18 points, all in the first half, on 7-of-14 shooting. Nayel Girard facilitated the offense with a game-high eight assists to go with nine rebounds.

Eastern Wyoming’s LaThario Miller Jr. provided a bright spot with 16 points and seven rebounds off the bench. Drezdon Jensen also scored 18 points for the Lancers, but needed 31 minutes and 17 shot attempts to do so.

Northwest’s comprehensive performance was underscored by significant advantages in key statistical categories. The Trappers outrebounded the Lancers 47-27, including a 16-5 edge on the offensive glass that led to 18 second-chance points. They also shared the ball more effectively, tallying 10 assists to Eastern Wyoming’s seven, and were more disruptive defensively, recording 10 steals and forcing 13 turnovers.

After the first-quarter onslaught, the Trappers maintained a comfortable margin. Eastern Wyoming showed brief signs of life with an 8-0 run early in the second quarter, cutting the deficit to 58-51, but Northwest responded immediately. A Travis Theran Archibald three-pointer and steady scoring from Bradshaw and Logan Woolstenhulme, who finished with 10 points, quickly pushed the lead back to 20 points and extinguished the rally.

Northwest’s depth was evident as 10 players scored, with Archibald adding 11 points and Eli Patterson contributing 10. The Trappers shot 45.3% from the field and were efficient from the free-throw line, making 9 of 10 attempts.

Eastern Wyoming, which shot 40% overall and 7 of 10 from the line, was led by Jensen and Miller but received little consistent support. Scott Noel added eight points for the Lancers.

The victory was in line with pregame projections, as Interstat’s ELO system gave Northwest an 85.5% probability to win. The Trappers will host Western Wyoming on Wednesday. Eastern Wyoming looks to rebound when it hosts Gillette, also on Wednesday.