Air Force Academy
BYU
Air Force Falls to Strong BYU Rally, 54-49
3/7/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 7, 2009
PROVO, Utah (AP) - Lee Cummard scored 17 points, including eight in the final two minutes, to lead BYU to a 54-49 comeback victory over Air Force and a share of the Mountain West Conference championship.
Cummard made six free throws in the final 1:04 to give the Cougars (24-6, 12-4 Mountain West) the lead and send the Falcons to a school-record 17th straight loss.
Andrew Henke led Air Force (9-20, 0-16) with 14 points and freshman Trevor Noonan scored a career-high 11. The Falcons forced the Cougars into their worst scoring and shooting night of the season. BYU shot 34 percent from the field, including 3-for-22 behind the 3-point line.
A season-high 22 turnovers ruined the Falcons' bid for an upset.
BYU has now won three straight conference championships, the first time that's happened in 75 years. The Cougars won three consecutive Rocky Mountain Conference titles from 1932-34.
Air Force will face Colorado State in the play-in game at the MWC Championships on Wednesday, March 11 at 2 p.m. (PT) in Las Vegas, Nev.
Air Force Post-Game Notes
-- Air Force finished winless (0-16) in conference play for the first time in program history
-- Air Force's 17-game losing streak is the longest in program history
-- Air Force has lost the last four games by a combined 16 points
-- Air Force turned the ball over a season-high 22 times
-- Air Force outrebounded its opponent for just the fifth time in 16 MWC games
-- Air Force led at halftime for the first time in the last four games
-- Trevor Noonan scored a career-high 11 points and tied his career-high with six rebounds
-- Noonan played a career-high 28 minutes for the second straight game
-- Anwar Johnson dished out a season-high five assists, tying the most by a Falcon this season
-- Matt Holland's seven rebounds are the most against an MWC opponent this season
