Air Force Academy
BYU
Falcons Fall To BYU, 67-61
2/23/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb 24, 2004
By DOUG ALDEN
AP Sports Writer
PROVO, Utah (AP) - Rafael Araujo and Mark Bigelow scored 21 points apiece to lead Brigham Young to a 67-61 victory over Air Force on Monday, keeping the Falcons from clinching a share of their first-ever conference championship.
Air Force could have locked up the No. 1 seed in the Mountain West Conference tournament next month and clinched the first conference championship and 20-win season in school history, but could not hang on after taking an eight-point lead early in the second half.
The 6-foot-11, 280-pound Araujo was at least 2 inches taller and 50 pounds heavier than any of the Falcons (19-5, 9-2) and BYU (18-7, 8-4) used the bulky Brazilian to wear down Air Force and avoid being swept for the first time in the season series.
The Cougars, who shot 82.4 percent (14-for-17) in the second half, still have an outside shot at the MWC regular-season title after a 2-4 conference start.
Nick Welch led Air Force with 16 points, Tim Keller scored 14 and Antoine Hood finished with 10 points and seven rebounds.
Bigelow added five assists and Araujo finished with eight rebounds for BYU.
After going nearly the first five minutes of the second half without a field goal, the Cougars made 6 of 7 from the field while turning an eight-point deficit into a 43-41 lead. Bigelow scored seven straight for BYU on two jumpers and a three-point play to tie it at 41, then Jake Shoff drove for a layup that gave the Cougars their first lead since 15-14.
BYU extended the lead to 52-45 before the Falcons started to make a comeback after A.J. Kuhle was fouled hard by Araujo with 5:38 remaining. Air Force coach Joe Scott was livid at the foul, which Kuhle came up from with a bloody mouth and had to leave for a few minutes.
It seemed to spark the Falcons, who started to rally when Matt McCraw came in to shoot for Kuhle and went 1-for-2 from the line, followed by two free throws by Welch and Keller's three-point play to cut the lead to 54-51.
Welch made two more free throws to pull Air Force to 56-55 with 2:33 remaining, but the Falcons couldn't overtake the Cougars.
Araujo scored on a layup, Bigelow made two free throws and Mike Rose was all alone under the basket after BYU broke Air Force's press to put the Cougars up 62-56.
The Falcons led 26-23 at halftime after using their quickness and some sharp outside shooting to outscore the larger Cougars. Air Force was 6-for-13 from 3-point range while holding the Cougars to 0-for-5 from beyond the arc.
