Falcons Look For Fifth Straight Win on Monday
12/21/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 21, 2008
Game #10
Air Force Falcons (7-2) vs. Texas Southern Tigers (0-11)
Monday, Dec. 22, 2008
7 p.m. at Clune Arena
Complete Release in PDF Format 
SITE
Location: USAFA, Colo.
Arena: Clune Arena
Capacity: 5,858
RADIO
Network: Air Force Basketball Network
Flagship: KVOR AM 740, Colo. Spgs.
Other: AM 990 - KRKS, Denver
Play-by-play: Jim Arthur
TELEVISION
None
INTERNET
Gametracker: GoAirForceFalcons.com
COACHES
Jeff Reynolds (UNC-Greensboro, 1978)
Air Force: 23-16, Second Season
Overall: 105-50, Sixth Season
Tony Harvey (Cameron Univ., 1998)
Texas Southern: 0-11, First Season
Overall: Same
ALL-TIME SERIES
Overall: First Meeting
Johnson Stays Hot
Senior Anwar Johnson has scored in double figures in eight of AFA's nine games this season, including each of the last five. He scored a career-high 20 points on Nov. 26 at Stanford, followed up with a game-high 17 points against Norfolk State, scored 19 against Northern Illinois, then matched his career-high with 20 at Northern Colorado on Dec. 6. He scored 10 against Texas-Pan American in AFA's last game. Johnson currently leads the team in scoring at 14.6 ppg.
Holland Cools Down, But Not Much
Despite shooting just 5-of-12 from the field the last two games, senior Matt Holland still has some lofty shooting numbers this season. Holland, who entered the `08-09 campaign shooting 45 percent from the field for his career, is tied for the Mountain West Conference lead with teammate Andrew Henke in three-point percentage (52.9%) and is No. 2 in field-goal percentage (63.5%).
Holland posted career-highs of 22 points and nine rebounds in the Falcons' 86-65 victory over UCCS at the Reggie Minton Air Force Classic, then followed up with a 13-point, four-rebound performance against Wofford to earn a place on the all-Classic team.
Holland went 8-of-10 from the field and 5-of-6 from three-point range en route to a game-high 21 points on Dec. 3 in Air Force's 67-55 victory over Northern Illinois.
Falcons No. 3 in Country in Shooting the 3-Ball
Air Force is ranked No. 3 in the nation in three-point percentage at 45.9 percent. California leads the country at 51.7 percent, followed by Arizona at 46.7 percent. Individually, senior Andrew Henke is ranked eighth in the nation, shooting 52.9 percent from three-point range. Senior Matt Holland is also shooting 52.9 percent from long range, but does not meet the NCAA minimums.
Up Next
The Falcons travel to Berkeley, Calif., for the Golden Bear Classic hoted by the University of California. The Falcons will open up on Saturday, Dec. 27 against Portland at 3:30 p.m. (PT).
Nearly Unbeatable at Clune
The Falcons have been close to unbeatable at Clune Arena the last five-plus seasons. Since the beginning of the 2003-04 season, Air Force has won 74 of its 81 home games, including 39 of its 41 non-conference games.
In addition, the Falcons have won 35 of their 40 Mountain West Conference games at Clune Arena during that stretch.
Henke Hits Career-High Last Two Games
Senior Andrew Henke scorched Northern Colorado for a career-high 23 points on Dec. 6 in Greeley, Colo., then matched it on Dec. 13 against Texas-Pan American at Clune Arena. Henke, who is second on the team in scoring at 14.3 points per game, has shot 15-of-24 from the field and 10-of-17 from three-point range in the two games.
Henke is currently tied for the lead in the Mountain West Conference in three-point percentage at 52.9 percent (27-of-51) and has made at least four 3-pointers in four games this season.
Stewart Makes Immediate Impact
Freshman Taylor Stewart became the first Air Force freshman to record a double-double since 2000 when he scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds against CSU Bakersfield on Nov. 16. Tom Bellairs was the last freshman to have a double-double in his first season at Air Force and he had eight of them during the 1999-2000 campaign.
Stewart is also the first Falcon freshman to score in double figures in his first three collegiate games since David Schuck during the 1997-98 campaign.
7-2 Ties Third-Best Start Ever
Air Force's 7-2 record ties the third-best start ever in program history after nine games. This is the sixth season in the 53-year history of the program that a Falcon team has been 7-2.
Two Air Force teams (2005-06 and `06-07) opened with an 8-1 record.
Three-Point Streak
Air Force has made a three-point shot in 489 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. The streak is the third-longest in the MWC behind UNLV (716) and New Mexico (591).
Reynolds Captures 100th Career Win
Jeff Reynolds won his 100th career game as a head coach earlier this season. The Falcons' victory over CSU Bakersfield on Nov. 16 was his 18th at Air Force. He won 21 games in his only season as head coach at North Carolina Wesleyan, then won 61 in three years at Wingate College.
Henke No. 3 All-Time in Three-Point Pct.
Senior Andrew Henke is No. 3 on Air Force's career list for three-point percentage at 43.5 percent. He is 27-of-51 (52.9%) this season, which is tied for the Mountain West Conference lead.
