Air Force travels to Georgia Southern
12/7/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 7, 2002
Date: Sunday, Dec. 8, 1:00 p.m. EST
Site: Hanner Fieldhouse (4,378), Statesboro, Ga.
Television: None
Radio: KVOR AM 740 in Colorado Springs
Records: Air Force is 3-2, Georgia Southern is 4-2.
Coaches: Air Force is coached by Joe Scott (Princeton, 1987), who is in his third season with the Falcons. He has a 20-42 record in his tenure at Air Force. Scott came to AFA from his alma mater, Princeton, where he was an assistant coach from 1993-2000.
Georgia Southern is coached by Jeff Price (Pikeville, 1981), who is in his fourth season with the Eagles. He has a 51-41 record at Georgia Southern, and a career record of 188-83 in nine seasons. Price coached for six years at Lynn University in Florida, leading that team to three consecutive thrips to the Division II national tournament.
Series: Air Force won the only previous game between the two school's, an 87-82 victory in the consolation game of the Blade-Glass Tournament in Toledo, Ohio on Dec. 30, 1986. The two teams will meet again later this season, on New Year's Day in Clune Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. MST.
Scouting Georgia Southern
Georgia Southern is 4-2 after losing to Mercer, 80-72, on the road, Dec. 5. The Eagles opened the season by winning the Maine Tip-off Classic with victories over John Jay (83-60) and Maine (91-77). The team then lost to Vanderbilt, 96-60, before defeating North Georgia, 112-85, and Savannah State, 74-62. Julius Jenkins leads the team in scoring, averaging 21.3 points per game. He had a game-high 24 points and added seven rebounds against Mercer. Frank Bennett follows with a 15.2-point per game average after scoring 14 points against Mercer. Bennett leads the team in rebounding, averaging 8.8 boards per contest. Terry Williams has a team-high 27 assists and 10 steals.
Last Time Out
Air Force 65, Texas-Pan American 44
Dec. 5, 2002 at Clune Arena
In setting an academy record for 3-pointers with 18, Air Force showed its Clune Arena fans what is becoming more than a trend. The 65-44 victory over Texas-Pan American continued the Falcons' sizzling shooting from outside. Sophomore guard Tim Keller, called by coach Joe Scott the best shooter he's seen in his nearly two decades of college play and coaching, drilled 5 of 10 shots from beyond the 3-point line. He tied his career high with a gamehigh 19 points to go with a career-best-tying four steals. Air Force came into the game shooting 43.2 percent from 3-point range for second in the Mountain West Conference. The 18-for-33 sum Thursday boosted that percentage to 46.3. For whatever reason, Air Force (3-2) didn't find the same ease when standing unguarded and unhurried at the freethrow line. A 1-for-7 total by the team was a puzzle no one could solve. Texas-Pan American (2-5) had a two-game winning streak against Air Force going into Thursday's game. But the Falcons used a 13-0 early spurt to ease into an 18-point halftime margin, 34-16. By halftime, Air Force already netted 10 3-pointers. David Peterson, a much-improved 6-foot-8 sophomore substitute center, plunked in the record-setter from the top of the key with 3:26 remaining in the game. Freshman Marcus King stroked in the final 3-pointer at the buzzer, as Air Force converted its final six 3-point shots. The old mark for a game was 16 on Nov. 22, 1997, against Doane College (on just 22 attempts). Air Force ended up with an Academy all-time worst nine rebounds while getting muscled Sunday in a road loss to Tennessee Tech. Numbers that make Scott beam are the 2-0 home mark and Air Force's seven turnovers, the team's fewest since Jan. 6, 1999, against Denver (6).
Notes from the UT-Pan Am Game
Individual
-- Sophomore Tim Keller tied a career-high with 19 points ... He also tied his career-high with four steals
-- Junior A.J. Kuhle tied a season-high with four assists ... Four Falcons finished the game with four assists, including junior Joel Gerlach, whose four dishes are a career-best
-- Senior Tom Bellairs posted a season-high six rebounds and 30 minutes of action
-- Sophomore backup center David Peterson tied his season-best with six points in just nine minutes
-- Freshman Nick Welch pulled down his first collegiate rebound, and posted his first two blocked shots
-- Senior Vernard Jenkins had a season-high four assists, moving into the No. 4 spot on the school's all-time assist list with 276
-- Freshman Antoine Hood pulled down a career-high two rebounds
Team
-- The 16 points scored by UT-Pan American in the first half ties the lowest amount allowed by Air Force in one half this season (16 by Stetson, First half)
-- Air Force's 20 assists is the most in one game since Jan. 6, 1999, when the Falcons had 20 against Liberty
-- The team's 57.5 percent shooting from the field is the best in one game since shooting 58.1 percent against Arkansas State last season (Dec. 5, 2001)
Long Range School Record
Air Force set a school-record with 18 three-pointers against UT-Pan American. The previous record was 16 made against Doane College on Nov. 22, 1997. The most treys made against a Division I team prior to the record-setting game was 15 against Stetson earlier this season.
Holding On To The Ball
The Falcons committed just seven turnovers in their victory over UT-Pan American Thursday, the fewest by an Air Force team in one game since Jan. 6, 1999 when it turned the ball over six times against the University of Denver.
Home Sweet Home
For the first time in 30 years, Air Force won each of its first two home games by more than 20 points. The 29-point victory over Stetson on Nov. 26 was followed up with a 21-point win over UT-Pan American on Dec. 5. The last time that happened was at the start of the 1972-73 campaign, when the Falcons beat Tulane, 81-59, and Colorado State, 78-57.
Dueces Not So Wild
The Falcons' school-record 18 three-pointers against UT-Pan American accounted for all but five of their field goals made (23) in the game. In fact, 33 of the team's 40 attempted field goals were from behind the arc.
Eight Tourney Teams on Schedule
Eight of Air Force's 20 opponents this season received a bid to either the NCAA or NIT Tournament last year. Three Mountain West Conference teams made the NCAA field of 65, while three others played in the NIT. Here is a breakdown of this year's opponents in the 2001-02 tournaments.
NCAA - Wyoming, Utah, San Diego State
NIT - Louisville, Tennessee Tech, UNLV, New Mexico, BYU
Three-Point Streak
Air Force has now made a 3-point shot in 302 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.
Big Monday Matchup
For the first time since Feb. 1, 1992, Air Force will host a nationally televised game when ESPN shows the AFA-Wyoming game on Monday, Feb. 17 as part of its "Big Monday" tripleheader. Tip-off is scheduled for 10:00 p.m. The Falcons have three other games on television this season, two on SportsWest (March 1 vs. BYU and March 8 vs. New Mexico) and one on ESPN-Plus (Feb. 15 vs. Colorado State).
Early Conference Stats
A number of Air Force players are among Mountain West Conference statistical leaders as of Monday, Dec. 2.
Tim Keller
#1 in three-pointers made per game, 3.5
#8 in three-point field goal percentage, 48.3
Joel Gerlach
#6 in blocked shots per game, 1.25
#6 in three-pointers made per game, 2.00
#8 in points per game, 16.8
#9 in field goal percentage, 53.8
#9 in three-point field goal percentage, 47.1
Vernard Jenkins
#4 in three-point field goal percentage, 55.6
Jenkins Climbing Career Lists
Senior guard Vernard Jenkins moved into the top five on two career lists against UT-Pan American. He is now tied for fourth on the school's all-time assist list with 276 career assists, and No. 4 on the school's list for career steals. He has 4in his career.
What's next
The Falcons host Belmont University on Wednesday, Dec. 11 at Clune Arena at 7:05 p.m., in the fonal home game of the 2002 calendar year. Air Force takes to the road again for a game against Oakland University in Rochester, Mich., on Sunday, Dec. 22. Tip-off is 11 a.m. MST.
Bellairs Reaches Milestone
Tom Bellairs became the 12th player in school history with 500 points and 500 rebounds in a career last season. He has 781 career points and 597 rebounds. Bellairs is 32nd on the school's career scoring list and seventh in career rebounds. He needs eight rebounds to move into the top five. Bellairs posted the 11th and 12th double-doubles of his career during the 2001-02 campaign. He leads all current Falcons in career points and rebounds.
