Falcons Close Out Regular Season Against New Mexico
3/6/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 6, 2003
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Date:
Saturday, March 8, 4:05 p.m. MST
Site:
Clune Arena (6,002), USAFA, Colo.
Television:
Televised by SportsWest, Tom Kirkland (play-by-play) and Blaine Fowler (analysis) with the call. Shown in the Colorado Springs area on KXTU (Channel 7 on Adelphia Cable).
Radio:
KVOR AM 740 in Colorado Springs.
Records:
Air Force is 11-15 overall and 2-11 in the MWC. UNM is 10-16 overall and 4-9 in the MWC.
Coaches:
Air Force is coached by Joe Scott (Princeton, 1987), who is in his third season with the Falcons. He has a 28-55 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.
New Mexico is coached by Ritchie McKay (Seattle Pacific, 1987), who is in his first season as head coach of the Lobos. Prior to taking the UNM coaching job, he was the head coach at Oregon State, Colorado State and Portland State. McKay has a career record of 93-105 in his seventh season.
Series:
New Mexico leads the overall series, 39-11. UNM defeated Air Force, 73-59, earlier this season in Albuquerque. The teams split two games last season, with Air Force winning, 47-44, at Clune Arena.
Scouting New Mexico
New Mexico is 10-16 overall and 4-9 in Mountain West Conference play after splitting a pair of games last weekend at home. UNM defeated No. 23 Utah, 76-69, on Saturday, then lost to BYU, 91-81, on Monday. The Lobos have won just two of seven MWC games since defeating Air Force, 73-59, in Albuquerque on Feb. 8. Ruben Douglas led New Mexico with 39 points and 14 rebounds against Utah and followed up with 27 points against Utah. Javin Tindall scored 26 points in the two games, while Mark Walters scored 18 points and had five rebounds against BYU. Douglas leads the country and the MWC in scoring, averaging 28.8 points per game. He also leads the team in rebounding, pulling down 6.5 per game. Williams follows at 11.7 points per game and 5.3 boards per contest, while Walters is also averaging 5.3 rebounds. Javin Tindall paces the squad with 62 assists. New Mexico finished sixth in the MWC last season, and lost to UNLV in the first round of the conference tournament.
Tops in NCAA Stats
The Falcons are currently ranked No. 1 in the country in scoring defense, allowing just 57.5 points per game. AFA is ranked in the top 20 nationally in the following categories:
Category -- # -- Rank
Scoring Defense -- 57.5 -- 1st
Turnovers per game -- 11.5 -- 8th
Field-goal percentage -- 48.3 -- 18th
60 Points is the Key
Air Force's 74-70 loss to UNLV was the team's first when scoring more than 60 points in a game. Air Force is now 8-1 when it reaches the 60-point plateau, and 3-14 when it scores less than 60. The only victories this season with a point total under 60 are the 57-52 win at Arkansas State, and home wins over Navy (56-43) and Savannah State (56-33). Defensively, the Falcons are 8-5 when allowing less than 60 points to an opponent, and 3-10 when their opponent scores more than 60. Air Force has given up less than 60 points in each of its last two games.
Three-Point Streak
Air Force has now made a 3-point shot in 323 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.
What's next
Air Force travels to Las Vegas, Nev., for the 2003 EAS Mountain West Conference Championships. THe first round is on Thursday, March 13.
Highest Computer Rankings Ever
AFA's RPI ranking of 135 on Sunday, Feb. 2 was the highest ever for a Falcon team. The team's highest mark in the Sagarin Ratings this season is 70.
Scoring Drought
Air Force scored just 68 points in its games at Utah and BYU, the lowest total for consecutive games in school history, surpassing the mark of 75 for games at UTEP (L, 35-66) and home vs. Wyoming (L, 40-54) during the 1981-82 season. Also, the 33 (at Utah) and 35 (at BYU) points are No. 3 and 4, respectively, on AFA's list for fewest points scored in one game. Three's Company After spending the first half of the season in the top two, Air Force has fallen out of the top 20 in the nation in three-pointers made per game. AFA is sinking 8.15 long range shots each contest, which is still No. 1 in the Mountain West Conference. AFA's 66.7 percent (16-24) from three-point range against Ga. Southern on Jan. 1 is a season-high and the best percentage since shooting 69.2 percent from long range against Montana State on Nov. 30, 2001. AFA is making 38.3 percent (212-554) of its shots from beyond the line. Individually, Tim Keller is second in the MWC for three-point percentage at 46.1 percent (76-of-165) and third for three-pointers made per game at 2.92. Joel Gerlach is fifth in the conference in 3-point percentage at 43.3 percent (39-90) and 10th in 3-pointers made at 1.50.
Still Searching for a Road MWC Win
After its 74-70 loss at UNLV on Feb. 24, Air Force now has a 27-game road losing streak against Mountain West Conference opponents. The Falcons won their first-ever MWC road game, 81-77 in three overtimes, at San Diego State on Jan. 20, 2000, and have not won a conference game away from home since. AFA went 0-7 on the road for the third consecutive season.
Field Goal Pct. Among The Best
After 26 games this season, Air Force's field goal percentage of 48.3 is the best since the 1988-89 team shot 48.9 percent, which is the second-best field-goal percentage in one season in school history.
Bellairs Fifth Player to 900 / 600
Tom Bellairs is the fifth player in school history to record 900 points and 600 rebounds in a career. He has 903 points and 683 rebounds in 106 career games. Bellairs needs seven rebounds to move into the No. 3 spot on the school's all-time rebounding list and is 25th on the school's scoring chart. Bellairs is No. 4 on the MWC's all-time rebounding list, behind UNLV senior Dalron Johnson (825), Josh Davis (795), who played at Wyoming, and current Wyoming senior Uche Nsonwu-Amadi (729).
New Long Range Records
Air Force set a new school and Mountain West Conference record with 18 three-pointers against UT-Pan American on Dec. 5. The previous school record was 16 made against Doane College on Nov. 22, 1997. The previous MWC record of 17 was shared by Utah and Colorado State. The 18 three-pointers ties for the fourth-most in one game for Division I this season. The Falcons are also tied for No. 10 (16 vs. Georgia Southern) on the list for most three-pointers made in one game this season. Air Force and Temple are the only teams that appear twice in the top 30 for this category.
Last Time Out
Utah 57, Air Force 52
March 1, 2003 at Clune Arena
For the second consecutive game, an opposing center came to Clune Arena and dominated Air Force. Tim Frost scored 16 points on 6-for-8 shooting from the field, including a three-pointer, and had a game-high seven rebounds as Utah beat Air Force 57-52 on Monday night. Utah (22-5, 10-2 MWC) needs just one victory in its final two games to assure a Utah-Air Force matchup in the first round of the conference tournament on Thursday, March 13 in Las Vegas. Air Force (11-15, 2-11 MWC) will finish in eighth place for the third consecutive year. Nick Jacobson also scored 16 points for Utah, which shot 56.3 percent (18-32) from the field and hit 7-of-8 free throws in the final minutes to pull away. Jacobson was 10-for-10 from the line in the game and has made 28 in a row. Joel Gerlach led Air Force with 15 points. Tim Keller had 11 and A.J. Kuhle added 10. Air Force hung close thanks to its top-ranked scoring defense, but never led. The Falcons tied the game twice, the last time at 24-all with 1:31 left in the first half. Utah responded with the final four points of the half on a pair of dunks to take a 28-24 lead at halftime. The Falcons closed the gap to 38-37 with 9:40 left on a layup by Gerlach, starting a string of 11 consecutive Falcon points by the junior from Littleton, Colo. Jacobson put Utah up 42-37 with a three-pointer and subsequent free throw after being fouled by Kuhle. Frost then hit his three-pointer at the 8:31 mark to give Utah its biggest lead of the game. Air Force cut into the Utah lead again, as a jumper by Gerlach made the score 45-43 and the Falcons had two shots to take the lead but could not connect. Jacobson was then fouled again while shooting a three-pointer, and his three free throws moved the lead back to five at 48-43.
Notes from the Utah Game
Individual
-- Nick Welch grabbed a career-high five rebounds
-- Joel Gerlach scored in double figures for the fourth consecutive game. The junior forward had gone five consecutive games without double figures.
-- Tom Bellairs played a career-low seven minutes and was held scoreless for just the second time this season (at SDSU, 2/22)
-- Tim Keller scored in double figures for the sixth time in the last seven games, and has at least two assists in eight of the last nine games
Team
-- Air Force has a five-game losing streak, its longest of the season
-- Air Force is now 0-12 when trailing at halftime this season
-- The Falcons shot better than 50 percent from the field for the fifth time in the last six games
-- Air Force's opponent shot better than 50 percent for the sixth time in the last seven games
-- AFA's nine 3-point attempts is the lowest total this season
-- Two made 3-pointers ties a season-low (at Utah, Feb. 1)
-- 1-3 from three-point range in the first half ties season-low totals for made and attempts in one half
Jenkins Climbing Career Lists
Senior guard Vernard Jenkins has moved into the top five on two of the school's career lists. He is fourth on the school's all-time assist list with 325 career assists, and No. 4 on the school's list for career steals. He has 139 steals in his career. Jenkins is second all-time in the Mountain West Conference for steals, behind Marcus Banks of UNLV (145) and is third all-time in assists, behind Matt Montague (439) and Marlon Parmer (384), who played at BYU and New Mexico, respectively.
Keller Shooting
Tim Keller is among the best shooters in the country, as evidenced by the latest NCAA statistics. Keller was No. 7 in the nation in three-point percentage. He is seventh on the school's career list for three-pointers made with 108.
Last Time vs. New Mexico
New Mexico 73, Air Force 59
Feb. 8, 2003, Albuquerque, NM
Ruben Douglas scored 19 of his 32 points in the first half as New Mexico handed Air Force its 25th consecutive road loss to Mountain West Conference opponents with a 73-59 victory Saturday night in Albuquerque, NM. Cold shooting plagued the Falcons in the first half for the third straight game, as they made just eight of 21 shots (38.1 percent) from the field, including 1-of-8 from three-point range. Douglas, who scored one less point than Air Force in the first 20 minutes, was 4-of-7 from the field and made all eight of his free throws as the Lobos held a 37-20 advantage at halftime. New Mexico shot 10-of-18 from the field, including 5-of-9 from beyond the 3-point line, and sank all 12 of their free throws in the first stanza. Air Force cut the lead to 37-27 with a 7-0 run to begin the second half behind a pair of layups from Tim Keller, who led Air Force with 19 points. UNM responded with a 9-0 spurt of its own, five of those scored by Douglas, to build the lead back up to 46-27. The Falcons did not get closer than 14 points the rest of the way. David Chiotti was the only other Lobo in double figures with 10 points, and he pulled down a game-high seven rebounds. Joel Gerlach led Air Force with five rebounds, while A.J. Kuhle added a team-high five assists.
Gerlach's First Double-Double
Junior Joel Gerlach posted his first career double-double with 18 points and a career-high 10 rebounds against UNLV on Jan. 25. It was the first double-double for any Falcon this season. Senior Tom Bellairs recorded the second for Air Force and 13th of his career, which is the third-most by any active MWC player.
Home Sweet Home...
Despite losing three of its last four games at Clune Arena, Air Force is 8-4 at home, which is the best home record since the 1988-89 season, when the Falcons began 9-3. Also, the team's six-game home winning streak to start the season marked the first time in school history AFA won its first six Division I home games. The Falcons won those six home games by an average of 22.2 points. 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.
Shooting Records Go Down
Air Force set a pair of new school shooting records against Colorado State Feb. 15. The Falcons made 13-of-15 shots in the first half, the best percentage (86.7) for one half in school history, bettering the 82.4 percent (14-17) against Montana State on Nov. 30, 2001. Air Force finished the game shooting 71.9 percent (23-32) from the field, the best percentage ever for a conference game. The previous record was 63 percent (29-46) vs. Hawaii (WAC) on Jan. 26, 1985.
Shooting Coming Around, but so is Opponents
Air Force's shooting has improved the last six games, as the Falcons have hit 53.3 percent (114-214) from the field. AFA has also improved from long distance, hitting 38.4 percent (38-99) of its three-pointers. The Falcons have shot better than 50 percent from the field in five of their last six games, while the team's 54.8 percent mark against UNLV is the best in a conference road game this season and second-best overall away from home. Unfortunately for the Falcons, their defense recently has allowed opponents to light it up. Air Force opponents have hit 54.7 percent (173-316) from the field and 51.5 percent from three-point range (50-97) over the last five games.
