Falcons Travel to Utah for Saturday Matchup
1/22/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 22, 2010
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Game #18
Air Force Falcons (8-9, 0-4 MWC) vs. Utah Utes (9-9, 2-2 MWC)
Saturday, Jan. 23, 2010
4 p.m. at Salt Lake City, Utah
SITE
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Arena: Huntsman Center
Capacity: 15,000
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: Bill Riley
Analyst: Andy Toolson
INTERNET
Live Stats: GoAirForceFalcons.com
COACHES
Jeff Reynolds (UNC-Greensboro, 1978)
Air Force: 34-44, Third Season
Overall: 116-78, Seventh Season
Jim Boylen (Maine, 1987)
Utah: 51-34, Third Season
Overall: Same
ALL-TIME SERIES
Overall: Utah leads 47-12
At Salt Lake City: Utah leads 27-2
First Game: Dec. 23, 1965
Result: Utah won 108-57
Last Game: Feb. 14, 2009
Result: Utah won 74-59
Current Streak: Utah - 4
The Injury Bug Has Hit ... and Hit Hard
The Falcons have been hit hard by injuries this season. Several starters have missed games recently. Sophomore Sammy Schafer has missed the last 14 games with headaches resulting from a concussion after starting the first three games of the season. Senior Grant Parker, who started the first seven games, has missed the last 10 with a stress reaction in his pelvis. He was averaging team-highs of 17 points and seven rebounds when he was injured. Junior Taylor Stewart (seven starts) is out for a minimum of six weeks due to a broken wrist suffered against UTEP on Dec. 29, while senior Avery Merriex, who started the first 12 games, returned to the lineup against CSU after missing two games as a result of a broken nose and concussion suffered Dec. 28 vs. Niagara. In addition, senior Mike McLain, who started the first 15 games, missed the BYU game on Jan. 13 due to a concussion he suffered against CSU.
Falcons Drop 73-50 Decision to New Mexico
The Falcons fell to 0-4 in the Mountain West Conference with a 73-50 loss to New Mexico on Wednesday. Junior Evan Washington led the Falcons with 16 points and six rebounds, while junior Derek Brooks and freshman Michael Lyons each added 10 points. It marked Air Force's 20th consecutive regular-season conference loss, setting a new school and MWC record.
Up Next
The Falcons stay on the road to face UNLV on Tuesday, Jan. 26 in Las Vegas, beginning at 7:30 p.m. (PT). The game will be televised nationally on The Mtn.
Still in Search of a True Road Win
The Falcons have not won a true road game since Dec. 6, 2008, a 71-64 victory over Northern Colorado. Air Force, which has won three neutral-site games since then, has lost 12 consecutive true road games. In MWC play, AFA's last road win was in Fort Collins against Colorado State, a 61-59 triumph on Feb. 23, 2008, a span of 11 games.
Falcons Finish Second at Sun Bowl Invitational
The Falcons battled UTEP to the wire in the championship game of the Sun Bowl Invitational on Dec. 29, dropping a 58-47 decision to the Miners. Air Force defeated Niagara, 77-71, in the first round behind 19 points and eight rebounds from junior Evan Washington, who was named to the all-tournament team. Here are the Bank of the West Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational results:
Monday, Dec. 28
UTEP 93, Norfolk State 56
Air Force 77, Niagara 71
Tuesday, Dec. 29
Niagara 80, Norfolk State 69 (Third-Place Game)
UTEP 58, Air Force 47 (Championship Game)
Big Win Against Niagara
Evan Washington tied his career-highs with 19 points and eight rebounds and Tom Fow added 17 points to lead the Falcons past Niagara on Dec. 28 for their first win away from Clune Arena this season. Freshmen Taylor Broekhuis and Todd Fletcher had career-highs of 12 points and five assists, respectively, while junior Derek Brooks scored seven points off the bench.
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 Missouri Valley Conference won this year's challenge, 5-4. Below is a listing of the 2009-10 MWC/MVC Challenge contests:
Date -- 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 -- New Mexico 66, Creighton 61 @ New Mexico
Saturday, Dec. 19 -- Illinois State 73, Utah 63 @ Utah
Tuesday, Dec. 22 -- San Diego State 76, Drake 73 @ Drake
Wednesday, Dec. 23 -- Northern Iowa 72, Wyoming 54 @ Northern Iowa
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, shooting 45 percent (9-of-20). The Falcons shot a season-best 50 percent on Dec. 22 against UC Davis, going 8-of-16.
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)
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.
Still an Outstanding Record at Clune
Including their 7-4 record this season, the Falcons have been hard to beat at Clune Arena the last six seasons. Since he beginning of the 2003-04 season, Air Force has won 82 of its 102 home games, good for a .804 winning percentage.
In addition, the Falcons have won 35 of their 50 Mountain West Conference games at Clune Arena during that stretch.
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.
Freshmen Coming Up Big Early in Their Careers
Several freshmen have had huge games already, just 17 games into their careers. Michael Lyons scored a career-high 25 points against Washington State on Dec. 12, while Todd Fletcher also put up some impressive numbers against the Cougars, posting career-bests of 13 points and three rebounds. He was 5-of-7 from the field and also collected a steal. Taylor Broekhuis, meanwhile, returned to the lineup against WSU after missing four straight games with an injury and scored three points, had a career-high five rebounds and two steals, while Zach Bohannon had career-highs of eight points and five rebounds on Jan. 13 vs. BYU.
Meanwhile, in each of the first two MWC games this season, the top two Air Force scorers were freshmen (Mike Fitzgerald and Broekhuis vs. TCU; Fitzgerald and Fletcher vs. CSU).
