Falcons Play First MWC Road Game at UNM
1/8/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 8, 2009
Game #15
Air Force Falcons (9-5, 0-1 MWC) vs. New Mexico Lobos (9-7, 0-1 MWC)
Saturday, Jan. 10, 2009
7:30 p.m. at Albuquerque, NM
Complete Release in PDF Format 
SITE
Location: Albuquerque, N.M.
Arena: The Pit/Bob King Court
Capacity: 18,018
RADIO
Network: Air Force Basketball Network
Flagship: KVOR AM 740, Colo. Spgs.
Other: AM 1510 KCKK - Denver
Play-by-play: Jim Arthur
TELEVISION
Network: The Mtn.
Play-by-play: Rich Cellini
Analyst: Joe Cravens
INTERNET
Gametracker: GoAirForceFalcons.com
COACHES
Jeff Reynolds (UNC-Greensboro, 1978)
Air Force: 25-19, Second Season
Overall: 107-53, Sixth Season
Steve Alford (Indiana, 1987)
New Mexico: 33-16, Second Season
Overall: 341-199, 18th Season
ALL-TIME SERIES
Overall: New Mexico leads 43-18
At Albuquerque: New Mexico leads 26-4
First Game: Dec. 7, 1957
Result: Air Force won 68-50
Last Game: Feb. 20, 2008
Result: New Mexico won 68-51
Current Streak: New Mexico - 2
Conference Play Continues at UNM
Air Force continues play in the Mountain West Conference on Saturday, Jan. 10 against New Mexico in Albuquerque, N.M. The Falcons dropped a 61-44 decision to San Diego State in the conference opener at Clune Arena last Saturday. Air Force went 0-2 against UNM last season.
Conference Openers
Following their 61-44 loss to San Diego State last Saturday, the Falcons are now 6-23 all-time in conference openers. They were 2-17 in conference openers in their 19 years in the Western Athletic Conference, with the two victories coming against San Diego State (86-75) in 1986-87 and Colorado State (69-58) in 1992-93.
Air Force is 4-6 in conference openers since the Mountain West Conference began play in 1999. The Falcons had won four straight conference openers before dropping their last two.
Johnson's Double-Figure Streak is Snapped
Senior Anwar Johnson had his nine-game double figure scoring streak snapped last Saturday when he scored just six points against San Diego State. He averaged 16.8 points per game in the nine games and scored a career-high 25 points in the Falcons loss to Stony Brook on Dec. 31. SDSU held Johnson to less than 10 points for just the second time all season.
Up Next
The Falcons return home to face Utah on Wednesday, Jan. 14 at Clune Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. and the game will be nationally televised on The Mtn.
Air Force 2nd in MWC Last 5 Years
Air Force has the second-best regular-season MWC record since the beginning of the 2003-04 MWC schedule. AFA's conference regular season record is 51-26, a game and a half behind BYU (52-24). Air Force is one of only two teams with a .500 record or better in MWC play each of the last five seasons.
Team -- MWC Regular Season Records (Last Five+ Seasons)
BYU -- 52-24 (10-4; 3-11; 12-4, 13-3; 14-2, 0-0)
Air Force -- 51-26 (12-2; 9-5; 12-4, 10-6; 8-8, 0-1)
UNLV -- 49-28 (7-7; 7-7; 10-6, 12-4; 12-4, 1-0)
Utah -- 42-35 (9-5; 13-1; 6-10, 6-10; 7-9, 1-0)
San Diego State -- 42-35 (5-9; 4-10; 13-3, 10-6; 9-7, 1-0)
New Mexico -- 38-39 (5-9; 10-4; 8-8, 4-12; 11-5, 0-1)
Wyoming -- 28-49 (4-10; 7-7; 5-11, 7-9; 5-11, 0-1)
Colorado State -- 17-60 (4-10; 3-11; 4-12, 6-10; 0-16, 0-1)
TCU** -- 13-36 (2-14; 4-12; 6-10, 1-0)
** Joined MWC prior to 2005-06 season
Falcons Still No. 3 in Country in 3-Point Pct.
Despite shooting just 31.8 percent (21-of-66) from three-point range the last four games, Air Force is still ranked No. 3 in the nation in three-point percentage at 42.5 percent (minimum five made per game). California leads the country at 50.5 percent and Miami of Ohio is No. 2 at 42.9 percent.
Air Force is also ranked in the top 20 in two other categories. The Falcons are 18th in scoring defense, allowing just 58.2 points per game, and 19th in field-goal percentage defense, allowing their opponents to shoot just 37.6 percent.
Nearly Unbeatable at Clune
Despite losing their last two home games, 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 84 home games, including 40 of its 43 non-conference games.
In addition, the Falcons have won 35 of their 41 Mountain West Conference games at Clune Arena during that stretch.
Three-Point Streak
Air Force has made a three-point shot in 494 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 (721) and New Mexico (597).
Falcons Picked 7th in MWC
Air Force was picked seventh in the 2008-09 preseason media poll released at the Mountain West Conference media day in Las Vegas, Nev., on Oct. 14.
School (First Place Votes) -- Pts
1. UNLV (16) -- 206
2. BYU (5) -- 181
3. San Diego State (3) -- 170
4. Utah -- 148
5. New Mexico -- 132
6. Wyoming -- 75
7. Air Force -- 66
8. Colorado State -- 53
9. TCU -- 49
Henke and Holland Top 5 in Career 3-Point Pct.
Seniors Andrew Henke and Matt Holland are ranked No. 3 and No. 4, respectively, on Air Force's career list for three-point percentage. Henke is shooting 42.6 percent, while Holland is shooting 42 percent. Holland, who attempted his 150th career three-pointer last Saturday against San Diego State to qualify for the list, is 30-of-64 (46.9%) this season, good for No. 2 in the Mountain West Conference, while Henke is No. 3 at 46.4 % (32-69). The list of AFA's career three-point shooters follows (min. 150 attempts):
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.
Seniors Dominate Against Northern Illinois
The Falcons' three seniors, Andrew Henke, Anwar Johnson and Matt Holland, combined for 54 of Air Force's 67 points on Dec. 3 against Northern Illinois. They also combined for 10 rebounds and nine assists.
For the season, the trio is averaging 37.8 points and 12.2 rebounds per contest. Johnson has scored in double figures in 12 of 14 games this season, while Henke has in 10 of 14. Holland has scored 10 or more points in eight of 14 games.
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 14 this season and is averaging 7.1 points and 3.8 rebounds per contest. He is fourth on the team in rebounding.
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.
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.
