Falcons Host Northern Arizona on Saturday
12/17/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 17, 2009
 |
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Game #9
Air Force Falcons (5-3) vs. Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (3-6)
Saturday, Dec. 19, 2009
7 p.m. at Clune Arena
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
Live Stats GoAirForceFalcons.com
COACHES
Jeff Reynolds (UNC-Greensboro, 1978)
Air Force: 31-38, Third Season
Overall: 113-72, Seventh Season
Mike Adras (UC Santa Barbara, 1983)
Northern Arizona: 161-142, 11th Season
Overall: Same
ALL-TIME SERIES
Overall: Series Tied 3-3
At USAFA: Northern Arizona leads 2-1
First Game: Jan. 12, 1966
Result: Air Force won 89-78
Last Game: Nov. 13, 2005
Result: Air Force won 62-49
Current Streak: Air Force - 2
Falcons Return Home to Face Northern Arizona
The Air Force Falcons (5-3) conclude finals week with a home game against the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (3-6) on Saturday, Dec. 19 in Clune Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. The Falcons are coming off a 75-68 defeat to Washington State last Saturday in Spokane, Wash., despite a career-high 25 points from freshman Michael Lyons. The all-time series between the two teams is even at 3-all, with Air Force winning the last two meetings (Jan. 2, 2002 in Flagstaff, Ariz., and Nov. 13, 2005 in Seattle, Wash.).
Freshmen Coming Up Big Early in Their Careers
In addition to Michael Lyons' career-high 25 points against Washington State, fellow freshman Todd Fletcher put up some impressive numbers against the Cougars. Fletcher, who played a career-high 29 minutes, posted career-bests of 13 points, three rebounds and three assists. He was 5-of-7 from the field and also collected a steal. Freshman Taylor Broekhuis returned to the lineup against WSU after missing four straight games with an injury and scored three points, hauled down a career-high five rebounds and had two steals in a career-high 21 minutes.
Washington Outstanding in First Eight Games
Junior guard Evan Washington has played very well the first eight games of the 2009-10 campaign. Washington, who scored a career-high 19 points on Dec. 2 in the Falcons' 61-49 victory over N.C. Central, leads the team in field-goal percentage at 54.5 percent. He is tied for sixth in the MWC in assists at 4.0 per game after dishing out a team-high six against Washington State.
Most Assists in Nearly Three Years
The Falcons dished out 22 assists against Prairie View A&M on Dec. 8, matching their season-high mark set against Dickinson State on Nov. 20. The 22 assists are the most by a Falcon team since they had 24 against Norfolk State on Dec. 13, 2006.
Up Next
The Falcons play their final game before the holidays against UC Davis on Tuesday, Dec. 22 at 7 p.m., in Clune Arena.
Mountain West / Missouri Valley Challenge
The 2009-10 edition of the MWC/MVC Challenge is the first in a four-year agreement between the Mountain West and Missouri Valley Conferences. Nine Challenge games will be played each year, and each conference will host a total of 18 games in the four-year period. Evansville, by virtue of finishing the 2007-08 MVC regular season in 10th place, will be the Valley team that does not participate in the 2009 Challenge Series. The MVC holds a 3-2 lead after Wichita State defeated TCU, 80-68, last Saturday. Below is a listing of the 2009-10 MWC/MVC Challenge contests:
Date -- Game Time / Result
Friday, Nov. 13 -- BYU 70, Bradley 60 @ BYU
Friday, Nov. 20 -- Indiana State 65, Colorado State 60 @ Indiana St.
Saturday, Nov. 21 -- UNLV 78, Southern Illinois 69 @ UNLV
Saturday, Dec. 5 -- Missouri State 58, Air Force 48 @ Missouri St.
Saturday, Dec. 12 -- Wichita State 80, TCU 68 @ Wichita St.
Saturday, Dec. 19 -- Creighton at New Mexico, 7 p.m. (MT)
Saturday, Dec. 19 -- Illinois State at Utah, 4 p.m. (MT)
Tuesday, Dec. 22 -- San Diego State at Drake, 8 p.m. (CT)
Wednesday, Dec. 23 -- Wyoming at Northern Iowa, 7 p.m. (CT)
Reggie Minton Air Force Classic Recap
Air Force hosted a regular-season men's tournament for the third consecutive season Nov. 20-21 at Clune Arena. Joining the Falcons for the Reggie Minton Air Force Classic were Dickinson State College (N.D.), Texas Southern and Northern Colorado. Minton was Air Force's head basketball coach from 1984-2000 and was the 2000 Mountain West Conference Co-Coach of the Year. He is currently the Associate Executive Director of the National Association of Basketball Coaches. Northern Colorado captured the 2009 title, defeating Air Force, 70-46, in the final.
Here are the Reggie Minton Air Force Classic results:
Friday, Nov. 20
Northern Colorado 66, Texas Southern 62
Air Force 95, Dickinson State 77
Saturday, Nov. 21
Texas Southern 77, Dickinson St. 65 (Third-Place Game)
Northern Colorado 70, Air Force 46 (Championship Game)
Most Valuable Player
Devon Beitzel, Northern Colorado
All-Tournament Team
Will Figures, Northern Colorado
Evan Washington, Air Force
Sammy Schafer, Air Force
Travele Jones, Texas Southern
Nate Lebsock, Dickinson State
Washington, Schafer Earn All-Tourney
Junior guard Evan Washington and sophomore center Sammy Schafer earned all-tournament honors at the Reggie Minton Air Force Classic. Washington led the Falcons in scoring, averaging 16 points per game, and pulled down nine rebounds in AFA's two contests, while Schafer scored 16 points and eight rebounds in the two games. Washington, who was 9-of-11 from the field and 14-of-17 from the line, also dished out a then career-high six assists in the team's 95-77 victory over Dickinson State.
Tournament Action
Air Force now has a 42-74 record in regular-season tournament play in program history. The Falcons are 16-8 in tournament play since the beginning of the 2003-04 season.
Three-Point Streak Snapped
Air Force did not make a three-pointer (0-for-17) against Northern Colorado on Nov. 21, snapping a streak of 513 consecutive games with at least one 3-pointer made. The last time the Falcons had failed to make a three-pointer was Dec. 4, 1991 in a 57-51 victory over Adams State College. Air Force rebounded nicely in their next game against Charleston Southern, making nine-of-20 from long range, good for a season-best 45 percent.
Still an Outstanding Record at Clune
Including their 5-1 record this season, the Falcons have been hard to beat at Clune Arena the last six seasons. Since the beginning of the 2003-04 season, Air Force has won 80 of its 97 home games, good for a .825 winning percentage.
In addition, the Falcons have won 35 of their 48 Mountain West Conference games at Clune Arena during that stretch.
Air Force Top 4 in MWC Last 6 Years
Air Force is currently ranked fourth among Mountain West Conference teams for the best overall winning percentage since the beginning of the 2003-04 season. AFA's winning percentage is 62.4 percent, just behind UNLV (67.6%), BYU (67.5%) and New Mexico (64.2%). Air Force is one of only four teams in the conference to have a winning record in at least five of the last six seasons (UNLV (6); Air Force, BYU, New Mexico (5)).
Most Points in Over a Decade
The Falcons' 95 points against Dickinson State on Nov. 20 were the most by an Air Force team since Feb. 16, 1999, when the Falcons beat Denver, 111-88, in Denver.
Parker Named MWC Player of the Week
Grant Parker was named the Mountain West Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week for games through November 29. This was the first weekly accolade of Parker's career.
Parker led the Falcons past Charleston Southern, 68-58, on Nov. 28 with the first double-double of his career. Parker scored a game-high 25 points and pulled down a career-best 11 rebounds to post AFA's first double-double since Taylor Stewart had 13 points and 10 boards vs. CSU Bakersfield on Nov. 16, 2008. His 11 rebounds were the most by an Air Force player since Jacob Burtschi had 12 at Stanford on Nov. 22, 2006.
Fow Makes First Career Start
Junior Tom Fow started the first game of his career last Saturday against Washington State when senior forward Grant Parker was unable to play due to an injury. Fow, who has played in 16 career games, scored nine points, hauled in three rebounds and dished out a career-high two assists against the Cougars.
Parker Shines in Season Opener
Senior forward Grant Parker scored a career-high 26 points and pulled down seven rebounds as the Falcons defeated Western State, 65-54, in the `09-10 season opener. Parker made seven of his 12 field-goal attempts, including a 4-of-7 performance from three-point range. With his 18 first-half points, he had already posted his career-high, surpassing his previous career-best of 16 points at Utah last season. Parker also played a career-high 32 minutes.
His 26 points were the most scored by an Air Force player in a season-opening game since Jarvis Croff put up 37 against Doane on Nov. 22, 1997.
Freshmen Play Well vs. Western State
Three freshmen each appeared in his first career game against Western State on Nov. 13. Michael Lyons, who led the USAFA Prep School in scoring last season, played 28 minutes and scored seven points. He also grabbed three rebounds and dished out an assist. Taylor Broekhuis, who also played at the Prep School last season, had two points and three rebounds in 13 minutes of action, while Todd Fletcher had one rebound in his five minutes of action.
Other Career-Bests Posted Against WSC
Sophomore Sammy Schafer grabbed a career-high five rebounds against Western State, while senior Avery Merriex pulled down a career-high four. Junior Evan Washington tied his career-best with eight rebounds.
In addition, Schafer took a personal-high seven field-goal attempts while senior Mike McLain played a career-high 21 minutes.
Most Rebounds in Over Two Years
The Falcons pulled down 43 rebounds against Charleston Southern on Nov. 28, tying their season-high mark set against Western State in the season-opener. The 43 boards are the most by a Falcon team since they had 43 against Austin Peay in the first round of the Postseason NIT Tournament on March 14, 2007.
