Falcons Win European Trip Opener
8/4/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Aug. 4, 2003
Junior Tim Keller scored a team-high 19 points on 8-for-18 shooting from the field as Air Force defeated SISU-Copenhagen in the Falcons' first game of their 12-day trip to Denmark and Sweden.
"It was good to get our first game out of the way," said Air Force head coach Joe Scott. "The guys were chomping at the bit to play someone else after nine days of practice at the Academy. We played a little frantic in the beginning but overall we played pretty well."
Air Force broke open a 13-13 tie after the first quarter by outscoring SISU 22-9 in the second quarter to take a commanding 35-22 halftime lead. SISU cut the lead to 41-34 midway through the third quarter, but the Falcons produced a 20-6 run to put the game away.
Keller, who led the team in scoring last season averaging 14.8 points per game, added four assists and three steals for Air Force. He also made three of his 10 three-point attempts.
"Keller played a terrific game tonight," said Scott. "His defense and passing were great."
Senior A.J. Kuhle chipped in with 10 points and also had four assists and three thefts against SISU, which finished third in the Danish Elite League last season, but was playing without their American players tonight. Sophomore Antoine Hood had seven points and a game-high nine rebounds, including seven offensive boards. Senior Joel Gerlach and junior David Peterson had eight and seven points, respectively.
The Falcons play their second of five games in five nights on Tuesday against Malbas in Malmo, Sweden.
"Malbas is a little better team than what we saw tonight," Scott said. "Our goal is to improve each game during the trip."
