Falcons Host UNLV on Saturday
1/30/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 30, 2009
Game #20
Air Force Falcons (9-10, 0-6 MWC) vs. UNLV Rebels (16-4, 4-2 MWC)
Saturday, Jan. 31, 2009
2 p.m. at USAFA, Colo. (VERSUS)
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 560 KLZ - Denver
Play-by-play: Jim Arthur
TELEVISION
Network: VERSUS
Play-by-play: Tim Neverett
Analyst: Tim McCormick
INTERNET
Gametracker: GoAirForceFalcons.com
COACHES
Jeff Reynolds (UNC-Greensboro, 1978)
Air Force: 25-24, Second Season
Overall: 107-58, Sixth Season
Lon Kruger (Kansas State, 1975)
UNLV: 107-46, Fifth Season
Overall: 425-279, 23rd Season
ALL-TIME SERIES
Overall: UNLV leads 19-8
At USAFA: Air Force leads 7-6
First Game: Jan. 10, 1981
Result: Air Force won 51-50
Last Game: Feb. 12, 2008
Result: UNLV won 58-51
Current Streak: UNLV - 1
Falcons Host UNLV on Saturday
Air Force returns to Clune Arena after two straight road games to face the UNLV Runnin' Rebels on Saturday, Jan. 31 beginning at 2 p.m. The Falcons (9-10, 0-6 MWC) dropped their sixth straight conference game last Tuesday, losing 72-59 at Wyoming. UNLV (16-4, 4-2 MWC) has won three straight games, including a 75-65 victory over Utah last Saturday in Las Vegas. The game will be televised nationally on VERSUS.
Up Next
The Falcons continue play at home against BYU on Tuesday, Feb. 3. Tip-off is at 6 p.m. and the game will be nationally televised by The Mtn.
Holland Goes Crazy at CSU
Senior Matt Holland scored a career-high 25 points on Jan. 20 at Colorado State. Holland, whose previous career-high was 22 points earlier this season against UCCS, was 7-of-11 from the field and three-point land against the Rams. He became the first Falcon to make seven 3-pointers in one game since Jarvis Croff made seven against Cornell on Dec. 29, 2000. His 25 points equalled the team's season-high set by Anwar Johnson against Stony Brook.
Coaches vs. Cancer Weekend
Coaches vs. Cancer "Suits and Sneakers Awareness Weekend," a collaborative initiative of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and the American Cancer Society (the Society), is slated for the weekend of Jan. 30 - Feb. 1, 2009. Participating NABC-member coaches, including Air Force's coaches, will wear sneakers instead of dress shoes with their usual game attire during weekend games to demonstrate their support for the Society and the fight against cancer.
Nearly Unbeatable at Clune
Despite losing four straight home games, which has not happened since the 2000-01 campaign, 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 75 of its 86 home games, including 40 of its 43 non-conference games.
In addition, the Falcons have won 35 of their 44 Mountain West Conference games at Clune Arena during that stretch.
Three-Point Streak
Air Force has made a three-point shot in 499 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 (726) and New Mexico (602).
Brown Sees First Action at UNM
Sophomore Phillip Brown appeared in his first game of the 2008-09 campaign on Jan. 10 at New Mexico. The 6-7 center was academically ineligible for the first semester, but has been in uniform for every game since the Dec. 22 contest against Texas Southern. Brown scored two points in six minutes against the Lobos, then played one minute on Jan. 14 against Utah.
Falcons Haven't Seen 0-6 in Conference Recently
Air Force fell to 0-6 in MWC play last Tuesday at Wyoming. It is the first time since the 1993-94 campaign that Air Force lost its first six conference games. Overall, AFA's seven-game losing streak is the longest since dropping the last seven games of the 2001-02 season and the first game of the `02-03 season.
Henke and Holland Top 5 in Career 3-Point Pct.
Seniors Matt Holland and Andrew Henke are basically tied for No. 3 on Air Force's career list for three-point percentage. Holland is shooting 41.84 percent, while Henke is shooting 41.79 percent. Holland, who attempted his 150th career three-pointer on Jan. 3 against San Diego State to qualify for the list, is 44-of-98 (44.9%) this season, which leads the Mountain West Conference, while Henke is No. 3 at 42.6% (40-94).
Schafer, Hempsey Play Career-High Minutes at CSU
Freshmen Sammy Schafer and Shawn Hempsey each played a career-high number of minutes Jan. 20 against Colorado State. Schafer, who dished out a career-high five assists in 24 minutes, also grabbed a career-best four rebounds and recorded two steals. Hempsey, meanwhile, scored the first two points of his career and grabbed a career-high two boards in 17 minutes. He added a career-high four points on Tuesday against Wyoming.
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.
Stewart scored nine points at Wyoming Tuesday, the most against an MWC opponent.
50 Percent Mark Finally Busted
New Mexico became the first team to shoot better than 50 percent from the field and three-point range against the Falcons this season. The Lobos finished the Jan. 10 game shooting 54.3 percent from the floor and 56.3 percent from long range.
The Falcons are No. 2 in the MWC in field-goal percentage defense, allowing their opponents to shoot just 39.9 percent from the field.
Falcons Finally Lose When Shooting Well From 3
On Jan. 17 against TCU, Air Force lost for the first time this season when shooting better than 33.3 percent from three-point range. The Falcons shot 38.5 percent (5-13) from behind the arc. On Jan. 20, Air Force shot 39.1 percent at CSU, but fell to 9-2 when eclipsing 33.3%.
Conversely, Air Force is 0-8 when it shoots 33.3 percent or worse from long range.
Parker Playing Solid
Junior Grant Parker is making the most of his playing time this season. After playing in just 14 games his first two seasons at Air Force, he has appeared in all 19 this season and has started the last three games, including the first of his career on Jan. 17 against TCU. Parker is averaging 6.5 points and 3.4 rebounds per contest in `08-09.
Parker scored a career-high 15 points against Wofford on Nov. 23 and grabbed a career-best nine rebounds against CSU Bakersfield and Northern Illinois.
