Falcons Face Wyoming at MWC Championships on Wednesday
3/9/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 9, 2010
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Game #30
#9 Air Force Falcons (9-20, 1-15 MWC) vs. #8 Wyoming Cowboys (10-20, 3-13 MWC)
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
2 p.m. (PT) at Las Vegas, Nev. (The Mtn.)
First Round - MWC Championships
SITE
Location: Las Vegas, Nev.
Arena: Thomas & Mack Center
Capacity: 18,500
RADIO
Network: Air Force Basketball Network
Flagship: KCSF AM 1300, Colo. Spgs.
Other: AM 1510 KCKK, Denver
Play-by-Play: Jim Arthur
TELEVISION
Network: The Mtn.
Play-by-Play: James Bates
Analyst: Joe Cravens
Sideline: Anne Marie Anderson
INTERNET
Gametracker GoAirForceFalcons.com
COACHES
Jeff Reynolds (UNC-Greensboro, 1978)
Air Force: 35-55, Third Season
Overall: 117-89, Seventh Season
Heath Schroyer (Armstrong Atlantic St., 1995)
Wyoming: 41-52, Third Season
Overall: 76-99, Sixth Season
ALL-TIME SERIES
Overall: Wyoming leads 71-28
Neutral Site: Wyoming leads 5-0
First Game: Jan. 25, 1958
Result: Air Force won 78-73
Last Game: March 2, 2010
Result: Wyoming won 58-49
Current Streak: Wyoming - 1
2010 Conoco MWC Championship Schedule
The 2010 Conoco MWC Championship Tournament schedule follows:
Wednesday, March 10
Game 1: #8 Wyoming vs. #9 Air Force 2 p.m. (The Mtn.)
Thursday, March 11
Game 2: #1 New Mexico vs. Winner Game 1 12 p.m. (The Mtn.)
Game 3: #4 San Diego St. vs. #5 Colorado St. 2:30 p.m. (The Mtn., CBS College Sports)
Game 4: #2 BYU vs. #7 TCU 6 p.m. (The Mtn.)
Game 5: #3 UNLV vs. #6 Utah 8:30 p.m. (The Mtn., CBS College Sports)
Friday, March 12
Game 6: Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 3 6 p.m. (CBS College Sports)
Game 7: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5 8:30 p.m. (CBS College Sports)
Saturday, March 14
Game 8: Winner Game 6 vs. Winner Game 7 4 p.m. (VERSUS)
** All Times PST
Conference Tournament History
Air Force is 5-23 overall in conference tournament play. The Falcons are 1-0 at home, 1-4 on the road and 3-19 in neutral site games.
Air Force snapped a 16-game losing streak at the conference tournament last season with a 71-67 victory over Colorado State in the first round. The streak had dated back to a 58-51 victory over #1 seed CSU in the Western Athletic Conference semifinals on March 8, 1990. That is still the biggest upset in WAC tournament history, as AFA entered the tournament as the #9 seed.
Air Force is 0-4 against Wyoming in conference tournament action. The teams last played in 2007, when the 6th-seeded Cowboys defeated No. 3-seed Air Force, 67-62, in the quarterfinals. Air Force is 1-10 in the Mountain West Conference Tournament.
Last Year at the MWC Tournament
Four players scored in double digits as Air Force snapped a 17-game losing streak with a 71-67 victory over Colorado State in the opening round of the 2009 Mountain West Conference Championship tournament. The ninth-seeded Falcons (10-20) also broke a 16-game conference tournament losing streak.
Andrew Henke and Evan Washington each scored 18 points for Air Force, while Anwar Johnson had 15 and Grant Parker added 12. Washington's 3-pointer with just over 11 minutes left was part of a 16-5 Air Force run that gave the Falcons their first lead since the opening bucket.
In the quarterfinals, Jimmer Fredette scored 21 points, Jonathan Tavernari had 19 points and 11 rebounds, and BYU overcame a second-half deficit in an 80-69 victory over the Falcons.
Lee Cummard scored 10 of his 16 points in the second half, adding eight rebounds and seven assists as the top-seeded Cougars (25-6) weathered an entire afternoon of trouble with the ninth-seeded Falcons.
Anwar Johnson scored 16 of his game-high 24 points in the first half for Air Force (10-21), which led 41-38 at halftime by outrebounding and outshooting the taller Cougars. The Falcons even kept it close until the final minutes, when Lamont Morgan Jr. and Tavernari hit key 3-pointers.
AFA Snapped 22-Game Conference Drought
The Falcons snapped a Mountain West Conference record 22-game regular-season conference losing streak on Jan. 30 with a 70-63 victory over Wyoming at Clune Arena. Air Force, which lost all 16 MWC regular-season games last season, had dropped its first six this year. Junior Evan Washington scored a career-high 23 points and tied his career-high with seven assists in leading AFA to its first regular-season win over a conference opponent since a 46-43 triumph over San Diego State at Clune Arena on March 8, 2008. Washington scored 15 of his points in the final 8:42 of the game, including six straight free throws in the last 1:20.
The Injury Bug Has Hit ... and Hit Hard
The Falcons have been hit hard by injuries this season. Several starters missed games this season. Sophomore Sammy Schafer has missed the last 26 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, missed 10 straight with a stress reaction in his pelvis before returning to the lineup against Utah on Jan. 23. He was averaging team-highs of 17.1 points and 7.1 rebounds when he was injured. Junior Taylor Stewart (seven starts) returned against New Mexico on Feb. 20 after missing 13 games with 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 on Jan. 9 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, and most recently, freshman Taylor Broekhuis, who missed four games earlier this season with strained leg muscle, sat out the New Mexico game on Feb. 20 after suffering a broken nose in practice.
Due to the injuries this season, Air Force has used 10 different starting lineups in the team's 29 games this season.
Washington Named Honorable Mention All-MWC
Junior Evan Washington was named honorable mention all-Mountain West Conference on Monday. The league's nine head coaches, along with a selected media panel, picked the all-conference teams, as well as the coach, player, newcomer, freshman, sixth man and defensive awards.
Washington, who was the only Falcon to start all 29 regular season games this year, scored a career-high 23 points on Jan. 30 against Wyoming at Clune Arena and leads the team with 41 assists in MWC games. He averaged 8.6 points and a team-high 4.5 rebounds during conference play and shot 45.4 percent (49-108) from the field.
Couldn't Get a True Road Win This Season
For the first time since the 1996-97 season, the Falcons did not win a true road game in the regular season. Their last true road was on Dec. 6, 2008, a 71-64 victory over Northern Colorado. Air Force, which has won three neutral-site games since then, including one this year (Niagara), has lost 18 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 17 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 only 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.
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 shot well in their next game against Charleston Southern, shooting 45%.
Most Points in Over a Decade vs. Dickinson State
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.
Air Force Almost 60 Percent Last 6
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 57.9 percent. 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)).
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 8-9 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 83 of its 108 home games, good for a .769 winning percentage.
In addition, the Falcons have won 36 of their 56 Mountain West Conference games at Clune Arena during that stretch.
60 Points Seems to be the Key
Air Force is 9-1 this season when it scores 60 points or more. The only loss was a 75-68 setback at Washington State. Conversely, the Falcons are 0-19 when scoring less than 60 points. Air Force has not scored more than 54 points in 15 of its last 18 games (2-16 record), including 14 of its 16 MWC games.
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. With its 21 assists last Monday against Niagara, the Falcons have three games with 20 or more assists this season, the most since the 2006-07 campaign (eight).
Freshmen Came up Big This Season
Several freshmen had huge games this season for the Falcons. 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, then scored a career-high 12 points vs. Niagara at the Sun Bowl Tournament. In addition, Mike Fitzgerald had a career-high 13 points at BYU on Feb. 13 and led the team in scoring three times this season (all league games), while Zach Bohannon had career-highs of eight points and five rebounds on Jan. 13 vs. BYU.
Falcons Almost Post 2nd Win Ever vs. Ranked Foe
The Falcons came close to beating 12th-ranked New Mexico on Feb. 20 in Albuquerque, N.M., the 65th game Air Force has played against a ranked team in program history. The Falcons are now 1-64 in those games, with the lone win coming on Feb. 15, 1992, a 75-72 victory over UTEP at Clune Arena.
Fow Goes Off Against UC Davis
Junior Tom Fow scored a career-high 30 points on Dec. 22 against UC Davis on 8-of-13 shooting from the field and 6-of-9 from three-point range. He also went 8-of-9 from the free-throw line. His 30 points were the most by an Air Force player since Tim Anderson hit 30 at Wake Forest on Dec. 30, 2007. Fow, whose previous career-best was 15 points on Dec. 19 against Northern Arizona, is 14-of-23 from the field and 9-of-14 from three-point range his last two games.
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.
