Air Force Academy
Army
Air Force Tops Army in Season Opener, 87-71
11/11/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 11, 2011
AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AP) - Air Force coach Jeff Reynolds liked what he saw from his squad in its season-opener.
Michael Lyons led four players in double figures with 24 points and a career-high nine rebounds as Air Force defeated Army 87-71 in the first round of the inaugural All-Military Classic Friday night.
The Falcons (1-0) trailed 59-58 with 9:22 remaining, but used a 17-3 run to blow the game open. Air Force scored 55 second-half points after trailing 35-32 at the half.
"We're a work in progress, but I like where we're going," Reynolds said. "I thought Taylor Stewart may have had his best overall career game, and Mike Lyons was able to get going in the second half. We shared the ball well and played a lot of different combinations, and I think that will hopefully help us down the road."
It was only the fourth-ever meeting for the two service academies, which last played in 1987. The series is now tied 2-2.
The teams combined for 54 fouls and 47 turnovers in the season-opener for both squads.
Air Force's Taylor Stewart had career highs in points (16) and assists (seven), Todd Fletcher added 14 and a career-high seven assists and Mike Fitzgerald tied his career-high with 13 first-half points.
"I just think we had to settle down in the second half and buckle down, and we got what we wanted," said Stewart, one of three Falcons seniors. "When we came in at halftime, we talked about dumb passes and letting our offense work for us. We just had stupid fouls and lots of turnovers, and as we keep playing, I think we'll mitigate those."
Air Force connected on 55.8 percent of its shots from the field and went 26-for-36 from the free-throw line. The Falcons scored 42 of its points in the paint and had 29 points off turnovers and 20 fast-break points.
Air Force had 25 assists on its 29 baskets and out-rebounded the Black Knights 39-26.
Ella Ellis led the Black Knights (0-1) with 17 points, with Julian Simmons adding 16 and Mo Williams 15. Army shot just 39.7 percent from the field, including 6-of-29 from 3-point range, and committed 24 turnovers.
"Obviously, we didn't shoot it well," Army coach Zach Spiker said. "That's going to happen, especially with a young team. We'll learn from it and move forward. That's a great thing about playing in a tournament ... you get the chance to play tomorrow."
The Falcons played five freshmen with starters Taylor Broekhuis and Fitzgerald in foul trouble most of the game. The freshmen contributed 52 minutes off the bench for Air Force, with Chris Carter leading the way with nine points, seven rebounds and a game-high seven steals.
Carter's seven steals were the most for an Air Force player since Tim Anderson had seven against San Diego State in a Mountain West Conference Tournament game on March 13, 2008 .
"I think (the freshmen) played like freshmen, with the exception of Chris Carter," Reynolds said. "As a staff, we're just going to have to nurture them along. I love this group because we've had 24 practices and only three bad ones."
The first half was a sloppy affair, with the teams combining for more turnovers (27) than field goals (24). Air Force's Fitzgerald used 5-of-5 shooting in the half to lead all scorers, but Army led 35-32 at the break.
Air Force led 19-13 before the Black Knights reversed the game's momentum and took the three-point halftime lead.
Air Force will face Virginia Military Institute in the championship game Saturday night. VMI defeated Citadel, 103-100, in the other first round game.
