Air Force travels to New Mexico
1/12/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 12, 2002
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Game 15 Air Force vs. New Mexico
Date: Monday, Jan. 14, 10:00 p.m.
Site: The Pit/Bob King Court (18,018), Albuquerque, NM
Television: ESPN/Bob Carpenter (play-by-play), Jimmy Dykes (analysis)
Radio: KVOR AM 740 in Colorado Springs
Records: Air Force is 6-8 overall and 0-1 in the Mountain West Conference. UNM is 10-4 and this will be its first MWC game.
Coaches: Air Force is coached by Joe Scott (Princeton, 1987), who is in his second season with the Falcons. He has a 14-29 overall record at Air Force. Scott came to AFA from his alma mater, Princeton, where he was an assistant coach from 1993-2000.
UNM is coached by Fran Fraschilla (Oklahoma Baptist, 1979), who is in his fourth season as head coach of the Lobos. He most recently spent two years as the head coach at St. John's. Prior to that, he spent for years at the helm of Manhattan College.
Series: New Mexico leads the overall series, 37-10. The eams split a pair of games last season, with each team winning at home. UNM won 59-52 in Albuquerque, while the Falcons captured a 53-49 decision at Clune Arena.
Scouting New Mexico
New Mexico is 10-4 after losing to No. 18 Gonzaga, 95-90, in overtime at home last Monday night. UNM had an eight-game winning streak snapped, which had been tied for the longest in the Mountain West Conference this season. This will be the eighth straight home game for the Lobos in a series of 10 consecutive games at The Pit. UNM has played 12 of its 14 games at home. Junior Ruben Douglas leads New Mexico in scoring, averaging 16.0 points per game. Junior Marlon Parmer follows with 13.7 ppg. He leads the team with 80 assists and is second in rebounding, pulling down 5.9 per contest. Sophomore Patrick Dennehy grabs a team-high 7.8 boards per game. Of its four losses this season, two have been to a ranked opponent. The Lobos fell to then No. 13 Stanford in their season-opener, 81-66, prior to their loss to Gonzaga. Parmer scored a career-high 30 points against Gonzaga, and added seven rebounds and five assists. Douglas chipped in with 19 points, but missed two free throws with seven seconds left in regulation and the score tied at 78.
Last Week
Mire Chatman scored 28 points, including all seven of Texas Pan-American's points in overtime, and Andruis Sakalys added 16 as the Broncs defeated Air Force, 58-52, Thursday night in front of 4,575 fans at the UTPA Field House in Edinburg, Texas. Chatman opened the scoring in overtime with a steal and a dunk with 2:35 remaining, giving UTPA a 53-51 lead. The Falcons scored their only point in the overtime period on a free throw by sophomore Joel Gerlach with 38 seconds left. Gerlach missed the second free throw and Falcon Tom Bellairs tipped the ball out to teammate Vernard Jenkins. On the ensuing possession, Bellairs drove the lane and was whistled for a questionable traveling call with three seconds left. The inbounds pass went through a couple of Air Force players' hands, and Chatman came up with the ball and was fouled. Air Force coach Joe Scott was then charged with two technical fouls for arguing the traveling call on Bellairs and was ejected from the game. Chatman made five of six free throws with one second left for the game's final margin. Chatman made 10-of-15 shots from the free throw line as UTPA had 24 free throw attempts compared to five for Air Force. Texas-Pan American (15-4) came back from a 10-point deficit midway through the second half, sparked by a 13-4 run, with Chatman collecting eight of the points. Air Force held a 38-28 lead on a Lamoni Yazzie layup with 14:02 left in regulation. Chatman then scored eight straight points for the Broncs and Air Force's lead was 42-38. UTPA took its first lead of the game at 45-44 on a Nick Traylor three-pointer, but Bellairs put the Falcons back up 46-45 with a hook shot. The teams traded baskets and Air Force took its final lead of the game on a basket and free throw by freshman Tim Keller. Marcus Quinn scored UTPA's final four points in regulation, and a Joel Gerlach layup with 1:55 left made the score 51-51. Texas-Pan American had the ball with 22 seconds left but could only attempt a desperation three-point shot at the buzzer. Air Force (8-6) was paced by Yazzie's 13 points. Bellairs had 12 points and recorded his second double-double of the season and 19th in his career by adding 11 rebounds. Gerlach and Kuhle each scored 11 points and Kuhle had four steals. Jenkins dished out a season-high five assists for Air Force. "I am so pleased with our effort tonight," said Scott. "If we can get that effort every night out, we'll be OK."
Big Monday Matchup
Monday's game will be Air Force's first appearance on national television since playing San Diego State on ESPN2, Feb. 7, 1998 in San Diego. SDSU won that game 66-55. The Falcons have four more games on television this season, three on SportsWest (1/21 vs. BYU, 2/9 vs. UNM, 2/18 at BYU) and one on ESPN-Plus (1/26 at CSU).
Still Liking Downtown Area
Once again this season, the Falcons are relying heavily on the 3-point shot. They lead the Mountain West Conference by making 8.1 three-pointers per contest. So far this year, 107 of the team's 269 field goals have been from beyond the arc, representing 39.8 percent. Last year, 45% of Air Force's field goals were three-pointers (245-of-544). Air Force's 31 attempts from 3-point range against Fresno State are a season-high and the most by any MWC team this season.
What's Next
Air Force continues play against Mountain West Conference opponents with home games against Utah (Saturday, Jan. 19, 3:07 p.m.) and BYU (Monday, Jan. 21, 2 p.m.).
Jenkins Climbing The Assist List
Junior guard Vernard Jenkins moved into the No. 8 spot on the school's all-time assist list with three assists against Liberty. Currently, Jenkins has 236 assists in his career. Vernard dished out a season-high five assists last Thursday against UT-Pan American.
Career Games at Liberty
Senior Lamoni Yazzie scored a career-high 29 points against Liberty on Dec. 22, and also tied his career-best with six rebounds. Sophomore A.J. Kuhle also posted career-best numbers of eight rebounds and five steals. Yazzie's 15-of-17 performance from the free throw line against Liberty are MWC highs in both categories. It was the most FT's made in one game by a Falcon since Otis Jones made 17 against Utah on Feb. 19, 1994.
Shooting Down Records
The Falcons set a new school record for the best shooting percentage in one half against Montana State, Nov. 30. Air Force made 82.4% (14-17) of its shots in the first half, including 14 of its first 15 field goal attempts. The previous record was 78.9% (15-19) in the second half against U.S. International on Dec. 7, 1985. The 71.4% (25-35) shooting performance for the game against Montana State set a new McCaffrey Classic record and is the best by any MWC squad this season.
Everybody Got In The Action
Eight of the nine Falcons that played against Northern Arizona recorded a least one steal in the game. Joel Gerlach led the way with three, while three players had two. Air Force forced a season-high 24 turnovers in one of the best defensive performances this season. The team's 13 steals is the second-highest this year, one less than AFA had against Liberty.
Todd Leaves Team
Sophomore forward Robert Todd has left the team, according to head coach Joe Scott. "Robert has made a personal decision to no longer play basketball at Air Force," said Scott. "We wish him the best in the future." Todd did not play in the Falcons' last four games while serving a suspension for violating team standards. He ranked fourth on the team in scoring this season with a 7.1 average. Last season, Todd led all MWC freshmen in scoring and set a new Academy single-season record with a three-point shooting percentage of 45.7%.
Bellairs Reaches Milestone
Junior Tom Bellairs became the 12th player in school history with 500 points and 500 rebounds in a career with three rebounds against UNLV. He has 618 career points and 512 rebounds. Bellairs is 44th on the school's career scoring list. Bellairs posted the 12th double-double of his career against UT-Pan American with 12 points and 11 rebounds. He leads all current Falcons in career points and rebounds.
Three-Point Streak
Air Force has now made a 3-point shot in 283 consecutive games. The last time the Falcons failed to make a three-pointer was Dec. 4, 1991 in a 57-51 victory over Adams State College.
Field Goal Pct. Among The Best
Midway through the season, Air Force's field goal percentage of 47.0 is the best in school history since the 1988-89 team shot 47.7 percent.
Gotta Score 60
The 60-point barrier seems to be a benchmark for the Falcons this season. Air Force is 4-0 when it scores 60 or more points, and 2-8 when it scores less than 60. The two victores with a point total under 60 are the 57-56 win over Northern Arizona and the 52-44 triumph over Denver.
For the First Time ...
-- With its victories over Liberty and Northern Arizona, Air Force has won consecutive road games for the first time since Jan. 24 & 26, 1989, against BYU and Utah, respectively.
-- Air Force has won two road games in one season for the first time since the 1998-99 campaign. The Falcons defeated Dartmouth and San Diego State away from home that season.
-- The victory over Northern Arizona was the first on the road against a team with a winning record since AFA beat Navy, 64-63, in Annapolis on Nov. 30, 1997. Navy was 2-1 entering that game.
-- For the first time this season, Air Force won a game while having a lower field goal percentage than its opponent. Northern Arizona shot 48.6% from the floor, compared to 40.5% for Air Force.
-- The Falcons have won four games away from Clune Arena in one season for the first time since the 1989-90 campaign. Two of those wins were against San Diego State and Colorado State at the WAC Tournament.
-- Air Force posted six non-conference Division I wins for the first time since starting conference play in 1980. AFA won five Division I games outside of league play last season, as well as in 1997-98 and '98-99.
Close Calls
Air Force is 5-2 in games decided by eight points or less this season. The only losses are a 57-53 decision to Oakland, and last Thursday's 58-52 overtime loss to UT-Pan American. AFA is one of only three MWC teams to have a winning record in games decided by five points or less. AFA is 3-1 in those games.
Gerlach Back on Track
Sophomore Joel Gerlach has regained his scoring touch the last three games. After achieving double figures in six of the first seven games, Gerlach failed to reach double digits in four consecutive games. He has scored 53 points in the last two games, including a game-high 23 against UNLV. He has made 18-of-34 field goal attempts and is 14-of-16 from the free throw line in the past three games. Gerlach also added a career-high seven rebounds against UNLV, and now has 103 in his career.
Yazzie Scoring Well
Senior team captain Lamoni Yazzie scored a team-high 13 points against UT-Pan American, the 11th consecutive game he has scored in double figures, the longest stretch for a Falcon since Jarmica Reese hit double figures in 15 straight games to open the 1998-99 campaign. Yazzie, who has led the Falcons in scoring six times this season, needs 27 points to become the 55th player in school history with 500 career points.
Last Year vs. New Mexico
New Mexico 59, Air Force 52 Jan. 13, 2001 - Albuquerque, NM
Marlon Parmer scored 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead a balanced New Mexico attack as the Lobos defeated Air Force, 59-52, Jan. 13 in a Mountain West Conference game in The Pit in Alubquerque, N.M. The Lobos took advantage of cold Air Force shooting in the second half to hold on for the win. The Lobos out-scored Air Force, 14-1, during an eight minute stretch to take their biggest lead of the game, 48-38, with 10:04 remaining in the game. The Falcons missed all 10 of their shots during the stretch. The Falcons finally started to get shots to fall and cut the lead to four points, 56-52, on two free throws by Jarvis Croff with 22 seconds remaining, but could not come any closer. Ruben Douglas added 11 points and Eric Chatfield 10 for New Mexico, who improves to 12-2 overall and 2-0 in the MWC. Air Force was led by Croff's 17 points. Tom Bellairs added a season-high 13 points and nine rebounds for Air Force. The loss drops the team to 0-20 all-time in The Pit. After hitting 50 percent from the field and leading most of the way in the first stanza, the Falcons suffered through 25 percent shooting in the second half. AFA hit just six of 24 shots, including just two of 15 from three-point land. The Falcons finished the game with a 36.4 mark. New Mexico hit 45.2 percent from the field and out-rebounded Air Force, 33-28. "The game was our type of game for all but a few minutes," Air Force head coach Joe Scott. "The end of the first half hurt us because we let the crowd back into the game. You have to do it for 40 minutes to come into a building like this and win. We still a young team, but at some point you have to get over that."
Air Force 53, New Mexico 49 Feb. 10, 2001 - Clune Arena
Lamoni Yazzie made a steal with 11.6 seconds left and hit a pair of free throws with 10.3 remaining to lift Air Force past New Mexico, 53-49, Saturday night in a Mountain West Conference game at the Academy's Clune Arena. Yazzie's heroics capped a tremendous second half surge by Air Force. The Falcons, who trailed 30-26 at halftime, opened the second half with a 17-5 run to take a 43-35 lead with 10:03 remaining. A lay up by freshman Joel Gerlach during the run gave Air Force its first lead of the game, 35-33, with 16:02 left. The Falcons extended the lead to as many as 10 points, 49-39, with 6:10 remaining on a lay up by sophomore Vernard Jenkins. The 10-point advantage marks the biggest of the season for Air Force in a conference game. New Mexico countered with a 10-2 run to cut the lead to 51-49 with 27.8 second left. Ruben Douglas keyed the run with the first six points. Following a missed free throw by Gerlach with 23.7 seconds, Yazzie produced his steal and two free throws to seal the game for Air Force. Senior Jarvis Croff led Air Force with a game-high 16 points. Gerlach added 14 points, while Tom Bellairs added 11 points and a game-high nine rebounds. Yazzie chipped in with 10 points. The victory marks the first time since 1995 that the team has won back-to-back conference home games. That year, Air Force beat San Diego State and Hawaii. The win also gives Air Force a 2-1 home mark in MWC games and snaps a seven-game losing streak to New Mexico. Defensively, Air Force was outstanding. New Mexico shot just 40.5 percent from the field, including a two-of-nine effort from three-point range. The Lobos' 49 points matches a season-low for a conference game. Douglas was the only Lobo in double figures, scoring 10 points. He also led the team with eight rebounds.
