Falcons Battle UNLV in MWC Quarters on Thursday
3/9/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 9, 2011
Game #30
#6 Air Force Falcons (15-14, 6-10 MWC) vs. #3 UNLV Rebels (23-7, 11-5 MWC)
Thursday, March 10, 2011
8:30 p.m. (PT) at Las Vegas, Nev.
Quarterfinals - MWC Championships
SITE
Location Las Vegas, Nev.
Arena Thomas & Mack Center
Capacity 18,500
RADIO
Network Air Force Basketball Network
Station AM 740 KVOR, Colo. Spgs.
Play-by-Play Jim Arthur
Analyst Matt Pauley
TELEVISION
Network The Mtn. / CBS College Sports
Play-by-Play James Bates
Analyst Joe Cravens
Sideline Molly Sullivan
INTERNET
Gametracker GoAirForceFalcons.com
COACHES
Jeff Reynolds (UNC-Greensboro, 1978)
Air Force 51-70, Fourth Season
Overall 132-104, Eighth Season
Lon Kruger (Kansas State, 1975)
UNLV 160-69, Seventh Season
Overall 478-302, 25th Season
ALL-TIME SERIES
Overall UNLV leads 25-8
At Las Vegas UNLV leads 16-1
First Game Jan. 10, 1981
Result Air Force won 51-50
Last Game Feb. 15, 2011
Result UNLV won 49-42
Current Streak UNLV - 7
Falcons Face UNLV at MWC Championships
Air Force finished the 2010-11 regular season with a 15-14 overall record and a 6-10 mark in the Mountain West Conference following a 66-61 loss to New Mexico Saturday in the regular-season finale at The Pit in Albuquerque, N.M. The Falcons finished in a tie for sixth place with Utah in the final MWC standings.
The Falcons will be the No. 6 seed at the 2011 Conoco MWC Basketball Championships due to their sweep over Utah this season. They will face No. 3-seed UNLV in the quarterfinals on Thursday, March 10 at 8:30 p.m. (PT) at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nev.
2011 Conoco MWC Championship Schedule
The 2011 Conoco MWC Championship Tournament schedule follows:
Wednesday, March 9
Game 1: #8 Wyoming vs. #9 TCU 2 p.m. (The Mtn.)
Thursday, March 10
Game 2: #1 BYU vs. Winner Game 1 12 p.m. (The Mtn.)
Game 3: #4 Colorado St. vs. #5 New Mexico 2:30 p.m. (The Mtn., CBS College Sports)
Game 4: #2 San Diego St. vs. #7 Utah 6 p.m. (The Mtn.)
Game 5: #3 UNLV vs. #6 Air Force 8:30 p.m. (The Mtn., CBS College Sports)
Friday, March 11
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 12
Game 8: Winner Game 6 vs. Winner Game 7 4 p.m. (VERSUS)
** All Times PST
Conference Tournament History
Air Force is 6-24 overall in conference tournament play. The Falcons are 1-0 at home, 1-4 on the road and 4-20 in neutral site games.
For the first time since the 2007-08 season, Air Force will not play in the play-in game. The Falcons have lost 12 consecutive conference tournament quaterfinal games, dating back to a 58-51 victory over #1 seed CSU in the Western Athletic Conference quarterfinals 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 has never faced UNLV in conference tournament action and is 2-11 overall in the Mountain West Conference Tournament.
Last Year at the MWC Tournament
For the second straight season, the ninth-seeded Falcons won in the opening round of the Mountain West Conference tournament, beating Wyoming 59-40 Wednesday. Grant Parker led the Falcons with 15 points, while freshman Michael Lyons added 11 points and a team-high five rebounds. Junior Tom Fow and freshman Todd Fletcher each scored nine points.
Air Force built a 32-21 halftime lead against the Cowboys and never trailed in the second half. The eighth-seeded Cowboys (10-21), who got 18 points from Desmar Jackson and 12 from Adam Waddell, cut their deficit to 47-40 on Waddell's basket with 5½ minutes left. But the Falcons responded with a bucket by Parker and a three-point play by Fletcher that ignited a 12-0 run.
In the quarterfinals, Darington Hobson scored 28 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in an emphatic performance that allowed 8th-ranked New Mexico to hold off scrappy Air Force 75-69.
The Falcons kept the pace in their favor and when the Lobos did manage to push the tempo, Air Force played that style well, too. And the Falcons benefited from the Lobos' 6 of 21 shooting from beyond the arc.
The Falcons, led by Tom Fow's 17 points, pulled to 38-31 at halftime when Washington sank an off-balance 3-pointer at the buzzer and then used an 8-0 run to trim its deficit to 48-47 with 12 1/2 minutes remaining.
Lyons Named Third-Team All-MWC
Sophomore Michael Lyons was named to the all-Mountain West Conference third-team 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.
Lyons, who has appeared in 28 games and started 27 this year, led the team and finished the regular season 8th in scoring in the MWC at 13.2 ppg. He is No. 2 in the conference in field-goal percentage (49.8%) and fourth in free-throw percentage (79.1%). He is the first Falcon to earn a spot on one of the three all-conference teams since Tim Anderson was a second-team selection in 2007-08.
In addition, seniors Tom Fow and Evan Washington were each named honorable mention by the conference. Fow is No. 2 in the league in 3-point percentage for all games and led the the MWC in the same category for conference game only. Washington, meanwhile, leads the team and is No. 5 in the MWC at 3.9 assists per game and also leads the team in rebounds, steals and blocked shots.
Air Force Clinches Winning Regular-Season
With Air Force's 70-65 victory over TCU last Wednesday at Clune Arena, the Falcons sealed a winning regular season, its first since going 16-14 in 2007-08, Jeff Reynolds' first season as head coach.
Most Wins Since 2007-08
With 15 overall and six MWC wins this season, Air Force has the most victories in one season since the 2007-08 campaign. The Falcons went 10-21 overall and 0-16 in league play in `08-09 and 10-21 and 1-15 last season. AFA was 16-14 overall and 8-8 in the MWC in `07-08.
Every Loss But One to Winning Teams
The 10 teams that have beaten the Falcons this season have a combined record of 204-99 (.673 winning percentage) this season, nine of the 10 currently have a winning record and eight of the teams have at least 19 wins this season.
70 Points Seems to be the Key
Air Force is 10-0 this season when it scores 70 points or more and 5-14 when scoring less than 70. The five wins were against UCCS (66-53), Evansville (57-56), Arkansas-Pine Bluff (63-52), at TCU (66-65 in ot) and at Utah (54-49).
Defensively speaking, the Falcons are 14-7 when allowing less than 70 points and 1-7 when allowing 70 or more. The only win was an 87-72 victory over Tennessee State.
First Back-to-Back MWC Wins in Nearly 3 Years
With its 74-57 victory over Colorado State on Jan. 26 and the 70-65 win over TCU on March 2, Air Force won consecutive MWC games for the first time since the 2007-08 season, when the Falcons beat TCU (March 5) and San Diego State (March 8).
Washington First Since `95 to Score 200 all 4
With six points against Colorado State on Feb. 26, senior Evan Washington has scored 200 points this season, becoming the first Falcon since Otis Jones (1991-95) to score at least 200 points in all four seasons at Air Force.
Sophs Still Solid
Sophomores Michael Lyons, Taylor Broekhuis and Todd Fletcher have produced some impressive numbers this season. Lyons continues to lead the team in scoring (13.2 ppg) and scored a career-high 26 points on Jan. 5 vs. Utah. He has scored in double figures 19 times this season and reached the 20-point mark five times.
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 50.3 percent from the field and is fourth on the team in scoring at 7.6 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. Unfortunately, Broekhuis missed both games at the Sun Bowl Invitational due to injury, but returned to the lineup and scored 15 points against Florida A&M.
Fletcher has been just as solid at point guard, dishing out 2.8 assists per game and sporting a 2.29 assist-to-turnover ratio. He scored a career-high 15 points against CSU Northridge, is second on the team with 80 assists and has committed just 20 turnovers in his last 22 games.
Fitzgerald Getting Marriott Points
Sophomore Mike Fitzgerald tied his career high with 13 points on Jan. 8 against BYU at the Marriott Center in Provo. He set his career-high last season with 13 points at BYU. In fact, two of his six career double-figure games have come at the Marriott Center. Fitzgerald, who also scored 13 points against New Mexico at Clune Arena, has made 14 of his last 24 three-point attempts.
Fow No. 2 in the MWC in 3-Point Pct.
Senior Tom Fow finished the regular season ranked No. 2 in the Mountain West Conference in 3-point field-goal percentage at 46.7 percent. He shot a league-leading 48.8 percent (42-for-86) from three-point range in conference games only. Fow, who is second on the team in scoring (12.1 ppg), has hit double figures in 16 of his last 20 games.
Evan Washington Top Ten in Dimes
With his career-high 11 assists against Utah on Jan. 5, senior Evan Washington moved into the top 10 on Air Force's career assist list. He is currently No. 5 on the list with 315 after dishing out five vs. TCU last Wednesday. Washington's 11 assists against the Utes were the most in one game by a Falcon since A.J. Kuhle had 11 against San Diego State on March 1, 2004. His 115 assists this year places him sixth on Air Force's single-season list.
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.
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.
Still a Great Record at Clune
Including an 11-5 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 94 of its 124 home games, good for a .758 winning percentage. In addition, the Falcons have won 40 of their 64 Mountain West Conference games at Clune during that same stretch (.625 pct).
Washington in Search of 1,000
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 has 943 career points and is currently 30th on the school's career scoring list.
Falcons Near Top of League in Shooting Pcts.
Air Force led the Mountain West Conference in three-point percentage (37.5%) and finished third in field-goal percentage (46.9%) for the regular season. In MWC games only, the Falcons led the league in both categories, shooting 46 percent from the field and 39.2% from three-point land.
Tom Fow Named All-Tourney at Sun Bowl Invite
Senior Tom Fow was named to the all-tournament team at the Sun Bowl Invitational in El Paso, Texas on Dec. 28-29 after averaging 14 points and four rebounds in AFA's two games. The Falcons defeated Sam Houston State, 76-65, and fell to UTEP, 71-54, at the tournament.
Washington Sets School Record for Career Starts
Evan Washington set a new school record by starting the 107th game of his career on Jan. 29 against Colorado State. The record of 106 was previously held by Otis Jones (1991-95).
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 57.1 percent. Air Force is one of only five teams in the conference to have a winning record in at least five of the last seven seasons (UNLV (7); BYU, New Mexico (6), San Diego State (5), Air Force (5)).
Seniors Find Out First Air Force Assignments
Air Force's three seniors, Evan Washington, Tom Fow and Derek Brooks, found out their first Air Force assignments on Wednesday, Feb. 16 during the "100s Night" ceremony. Here is where each of them will be stationed next year as 2nd Lieutenants:
Evan Washington - Assistant Basketball Coach, USAFA Prep School, USAFA, Colo.
Tom Fow - Space Officer, Schriever AFB, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Derek Brooks - Finance Officer, Hanscom AFB, Boston, Mass.
Falcons Picked 9th in MWC
Air Force was picked ninth in the 2010-11 preseason media poll released at the Mountain West Conference media day in Denver, Colo., on Oct. 12. With its sixth-place finish, the Falcons had the biggest jump from predicted to actual finish in the conference this season.
School (First Place Votes) -- Pts.
1. San Diego State (21) -- 261
2. BYU (5) -- 220
3. New Mexico (3) -- 214
4. UNLV (1) -- 203
5. Colorado State -- 132
6. Utah -- 105
7. TCU -- 92
8. Wyoming -- 88
9. Air Force -- 35
