Falcons Travel to Flagstaff to Face NAU
12/20/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 20, 2010
Game #10
Air Force Falcons (7-2) vs. Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (7-4)
Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2010
6:35 p.m. at Flagstaff, Ariz.
SITE
Location Flagstaff, Ariz.
Arena Rolle Activity Center
Capacity 900
RADIO
Network Air Force Basketball Network
Station AM 1300 KCSF, Colo. Spgs.
Play-by-Play Jim Arthur
Analyst Matt Pauley
TELEVISION
None
INTERNET
Gametracker GoAirForceFalcons.com
COACHES
Jeff Reynolds (UNC-Greensboro, 1978)
Air Force 43-58, Fourth Season
Overall 124-92, Eighth Season
Mike Adras (UC Santa Barbara, 1983)
NAU 179-154, 12th Season
Overall Same
ALL-TIME SERIES
Overall Northern Arizona leads 4-3
At NAU Series tied 1-1
First Game Jan. 12, 1966
Result Air Force won 89-78
Last Game Dec. 19, 2009
Result Northern Arizona won 60-52
Current Streak Northern Arizona - 1
Falcons Open Three-Game Road Swing at NAU
The Air Force Falcons (7-2) play the first of three consecutive games away from Clune Arena on Wednesday, Dec. 22 against the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (7-4) in Flagstaff, Az. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. (MT) and the game will be broadcast in the Colorado Springs area on AM 1300 KCSF (The Sports Animal). The Falcons are coming off a 63-52 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff last Saturday at Clune. Sophomore Michael Lyons led AFA with a season-high 24 points and fellow sophomore Taylor Broekhuis added 11 points and a game-high eight rebounds. Senior Derek Brooks also hit double figures, scoring 11 points and grabbing six boards. Northern Arizona lost at Arizona, 63-58, last Thursday in Tucson, Az. The Lumberjacks have lost their last two games after rattling off seven straight wins.
No. 6 in Country in FG Defense ...
The Falcons lead the Mountain West Conference and are ranked No. 6 in the country in field-goal percentage defense. Opponents are shooting just 36.1 percent against Air Force this season. Wright State had the best FG% against Air Force this year at 48 percent, but the other eight opponents have all shot below 40 percent.
And No. 18 in FG Pct.
Air Force is ranked 18th in the nation in field-goal percentage, shooting 48.9 percent from the field this season. The Falcons have shot better than their opponent from the field in all nine games this year. AFA's 37.3 percent shooting against Colorado College is the only game this season below 43 percent.
Up Next
The Falcons will travel to El Paso, Texas for the Bank of the West Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational beginning Tuesday, Dec. 28. Air Force will face Sam Houston State in the first round at 9 p.m. (MT), then will play host UTEP on Wednesday, Dec. 29 at 7:30 p.m.
7-2 Ties Second-Best Start
Air Force's 7-2 record ties the second-best start ever in program history after nine games. The Falcons have been 8-1 twice in the past (2005-06 and `06-07) and this is the sixth time at 7-2, most recently during the 2008-09 campaign.
Injuries Are Here Again
After enduring a season full of injuries in 2009-10, the Falcons were hoping for a healthy `10-11 campaign. Unfortunately, it has not started out that way. Freshman Ethan Michael tore his ACL during Basic Cadet Training, then sophomore forward Zach Bohannon tore a ligament in his right hand and underwent surgery on Oct. 28. In addition, freshmen Sean Bowman (knee) and Myles Jerrett (shoulder) underwent surgery recently. Michael and Jerrett are out for the year while Bohannon and Bowman will miss most, if not all, of the non-conference portion of the schedule.
Best FT% in Over Three Years
Air Force shot 94.1 percent (16-of-17) from the free throw line against Colorado College on Nov. 17, the best single-game percentage since going 16-for-17 against Georgia on March 19, 2007. The previous high under Jeff Reynolds was 93.8 percent (15-of-16) against Washington State on Nov. 25, 2007.
Mountain West / Missouri Valley Challenge
The 2010-11 edition of the MWC/MVC Challenge is the second 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. Missouri State will be the Valley team that does not participate in the 2010 Challenge Series. The Mountain West won eight of the nine games this season:
Date -- Result
Wednesday, Dec. 1 -- Colorado State 78, Drake 67
Wednesday, Dec. 1 -- BYU 77, Creighton 65
Wednesday, Dec. 1 -- New Mexico 74, Southern Illinois 59
Wednesday, Dec. 1 -- UNLV 82, Illinois State 51
Saturday, Dec. 4 -- Northern Iowa 64, TCU 60
Saturday, Dec. 4 -- Wyoming 81, Indiana State 61
Saturday, Dec. 4 -- Utah 68, Bradley 60
Saturday, Dec. 4 -- San Diego State 83, Wichita State 69
Sunday, Dec. 5 -- Air Force 57, Evansville 56
Air Force Almost 60 Percent Last 7
Air Force is currently ranked sixth among Mountain West Conference teams for the best overall winning percentage since the beginning of the 2003-04 season. AFA's winning percentage is 58.6 percent. Air Force is one of only five teams in the conference to have a winning record in at least four of the last seven seasons (UNLV (7); BYU, New Mexico (6), San Diego State (5), Air Force (4)).
Evan Washington in Search of 1,000
Senior Evan Washington entered the 2010-11 campaign within striking distance of becoming the 23rd player in Air Force history to reach the 1,000-point plateau. Washington, who played in his 100th career game on Dec. 11 against North Carolina Central, has 825 career points and is currently 39th on the school's career scoring list. The last Falcon to join the 1,000-point club was Matt McCraw in 2007.
Super Sophs Solid So Far
Sophomores Michael Lyons, Taylor Broekhuis and Todd Fletcher have produced some impressive numbers in the Falcons' first nine games. Lyons took over the team lead in scoring at 13.7 ppg after scoring a season-high 24 points on Saturday vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff. He has scored in double figures six times this season and reached the 20-point mark twice.
Broekhuis, meanwhile, scored a career-high 19 points on Dec. 5 against Evansville and shot 5-for-10 from three-point range. He had made just two career 3-pointers entering the game. Broekhuis is shooting a team-high 56.9 percent from the field and is third on the team in scoring at 12.1 ppg. He also played a career-high 41 minutes against CC and blocked a personal-best three shots, the most by a Falcon in one game since Matt Holland swatted four against Wyoming on Feb. 28, 2009.
Fletcher has been just as solid at point guard, dishing out 3.6 assists per game and scoring a career-high 15 points against Cal State Northridge. He leads the team with 32 assists and is ranked No. 2 in the Mountain West Conference in assist - turnover ratio (2.1).
Fow Still Putting Up Strong Numbers
Despite scoring in double figures just once in his last four games, senior Tom Fow is still second on the team in scoring (12.6 ppg) after nine games. He is shooting 49 percent from the field and 46.2 percent from three-point range, good for No. 4 in the MWC rankings. Fow, who led or tied for the team lead in scoring in four of AFA's first five games, scored a season-high 22 points on Dec. 2 against CSU Northridge. He also tied his career-high with eight rebounds against Colorado College on Nov. 17.
Stucky Finally Gets His Shot
Junior guard Scott Stucky appeared in his first career game Dec. 8 at Wright State. Stucky, playing just 30 minutes from his hometown of Dublin, Ohio, did not play in either of his first two years after suffering a torn ACL prior to each season. He scored four points at WSU.
First Four-Game Win Streak Since `08
With its 57-56 victory over Evansville on Dec. 5, Air Force had won four consecutive games for the first time since early in the 2008-09 campaign. The Falcons won five straight games from Nov. 30 - Dec. 22, 2008.
Most Assists in Nearly Four Years
The Falcons dished out 24 assists against Tennessee State on Nov. 20, the most by an Air Force team since it had 24 against Norfolk State on Dec. 13, 2006.
Stellar Second Half vs. TSU
Air Force scored 58 points and shot 76 percent (19-of-25) from the field in the second half against Tennessee State on Nov. 20. The 58 points were the most in one half since scoring 58 in the second half vs. Utah on Jan. 16, 2007 and it was the best shooting percentage in one half since shooting 76.5 percent (13-of-17) in the first half against Utah on Jan. 19, 2006.
Extra Time a Couple of Times
Two of Air Force's first nine games have gone to overtime this season. Prior to this season, AFA's last overtime game was on Jan. 16, 2008, a 64-62 victory at Wyoming. Including this season's 1-1 mark, Air Force's all-time overtime record is 24-31.
Still a Great Record at Clune
Including a 6-1 record at home this season, the Falcons have been hard to beat at Clune Arena the last seven seasons. Since the beginning of the 2003-04 season, Air Force has won 89 of its 115 home games, good for a .774 winning percentage.
In addition, the Falcons have won 36 of their 56 Mountain West Conference games at Clune during that same stretch.
Falcons Win Eighth Straight Season Opener
With its 66-53 victory over UCCS at Clune Arena on Nov. 14, Air Force is now 25-30 all-time in season openers. The Falcons are 19-8 at home and 6-22 on the road (including neutral games). Air Force has won its last eight season openers and 10 home openers.
Not a Lot of Shots at Wright State
The Falcons attempted a season-low 36 field-goal attempts and six 3-point attempts at Wright State on Dec. 8. The 36 FGA were the fewest in one game since 33 at Missouri State last year, while the six 3-point attempts were the fewest since attempting six against Navy on Dec. 9, 1995.
Still Looking for Back-to-Back Road Wins
Air Force was looking for its first consecutive road wins since 2007 at Wright State on Dec. 8. The Falcons still have not won two straight road games since winning at Colorado State and Wyoming in January of `07.
With their 72-66 victory at Wofford on Nov. 24, the Falcons captured their first true road win in nearly two years. Their last victory on an opponent's court was Dec. 6, 2008, a 71-64 victory over Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colo. Air Force, which won four neutral-site games in between, including two last year (Niagara at the Sun Bowl Invitational and Wyoming at the MWC Championships), had lost 18 consecutive true road games before defeating Wofford.
Balanced Attack So Far This Season
Air Force has had five players score in double figures in two games and four in double figures in two others this season. Prior to this season, the last time Air Force had five players in double figures in one game was March 14, 2007 against Austin Peay in the postseason NIT. The Falcons had three games that season with five players in double figures.
