Falcons Host TCU on Wednesday

Feb. 21, 2012

GAME #25

Air Force Falcons vs. TCU Horned Frogs

Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012

6 p.m. at Clune Arena (The Mtn.)

Game Notes

SITE

Location USAFA, Colo.

Arena Clune Arena

Capacity 5,858

RADIO

Network Air Force / IMG Sports Network

Station AM 1300 KCSF, Colo. Spgs.

Play-by-Play Jim Arthur

Analyst Matt Pauley

TELEVISION

Network The Mtn.

Play-by-Play Dan Gutowski

Analyst Dave Bollwinkel

INTERNET

Live Stats goairforcefalcons.com

COACHES

Dave Pilipovich (Thiel College, 1986)

Air Force 2-1, First Season as Head Coach

Overall Same

Jim Christian (Rhode Island, 1988)

TCU 53-69, Fourth Season

Overall 191-127, Ninth Season

ALL-TIME SERIES

Overall Air Force leads 8-7

At USAFA Air Force leads 5-2

First Game Jan. 21, 1999

Result TCU won 114-87

Last Game Jan. 25, 2012

Result TCU won 59-56

Current Streak TCU - 1

Air Force Wins First-Ever Against a Top 20 Team

Michael Lyons scored 27 points and had four steals to lead Air Force to a 58-56 upset of No. 13 San Diego State, the Falcons' first win over a top 20 team in program history. The Aztecs had a chance to steal the win but Xavier Thames' 3-pointer was off the mark at the buzzer, sending San Diego State to its third straight loss. The Falcons improved to 2-1 under Dave Pilipovich, 1-64 against top-20 teams and 2-74 against ranked opponents. The only other time they beat a ranked team was Feb. 15, 1992, against No. 21 UTEP.

Falcons Host TCU on Saturday

The Air Force Falcons face the TCU Horned Frogs on Wednesday, Feb. 22 at the Clune Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. and the game will be broadcast locally on AM 1300 KCSF and televised nationally on The Mtn. The Falcons are 13-11 and 3-7 in league play after upsetting No. 13 San Diego State, 58-56, on Saturday at Clune Arena, while TCU fell to 15-11 and 5-5 after losing to Boise State, 65-64, in Boise, Idaho on Saturday.

Dave Pilipovich Wins First Career Game as Head Coach

Dave Pilipovich won his first game as a collegiate head coach last Wednesday when Air Force defeated Wyoming 58-53 in Laramie, Wyo. Pilipovich became the eighth head coach in the history of the Air Force men's basketball program on February 8, 2012. Pilipovich was in his fifth season as a member of the coaching staff and first as associate head coach when he was promoted to head coach after Jeff Reynolds was relieved of his duties.

Pilipovich, who spent the previous 25 years as a collegiate assistant coach, helped Air Force to a 16-14 record in his first season as an assistant (2007-08) and was instrumental in the Falcons making the CollegeInsider.com Tournament last year, the team's first postseason appearance since 2007.

Lyons' Three Straight 20-Point Games, First Time Since `97-98

With his 27-point performance against #13 San Diego State on Saturday, junior Michael Lyons became the first Air Force player to score at least 20 points in three consecutive games since Jarmica Reese during the 1997-98 campaign. Lyons scored 24 points against Boise State on Feb. 11 and Wyoming on Feb. 15.

In addition, Lyons' 75 points in his last three games are the most by a Falcon in that span since Ty Wright scored 78 in three games towards the end of the 1998-99 season.

Up Next

The Falcons travel to Las Vegas to take on the 11th-ranked UNLV Rebels on Saturday, Feb. 25. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. (PT).

All 11 Losses to Winning Teams

The 11 teams that have beaten the Falcons this season have a combined record of 203-86 (.702 winning percentage) this season and all 11 currently have a winning record. Five of the teams, Wagner, Gonzaga, New Mexico, UNLV and San Diego State, have at least 20 wins this season.

Falcons Finally Get Second-Ever Win Against Ranked Team

After defeating #13 San Diego State on Saturday, Air Force is now 2-74 against ranked teams in program history. The other victory came on Feb. 15, 1992, a 75-72 win over 21st-ranked UTEP at Clune Arena.

Third-Fewest Points Ever in a Victory

Air Force's 42 points against Eastern Michigan on Dec. 30 were the third-fewest in a victory in school history and the fewest since a 39-36 win over Cornell on Dec. 29, 1981. The school record for fewest points in a victory is a 30-19 win over Regis on Dec. 12, 1978.

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AFA Overcomes Largest Deficit Of Season at Wyoming

Air Force's rally from a 14-point deficit against Wyoming on Wednesday was the largest this season and the largest since overcoming an 18-point deficit against Sam Houston State (W, 76-65) on Dec. 28, 2010.

It was also the largest deficit Air Force has overcome against a Mountain West opponent since Jan. 9, 2007, when Air Force rallied from a 21-point first-half deficit to beat New Mexico, 65-57, at Clune Arena.

Fletcher 15th on Career Assist List

With his two assists against Texas-Pan American on Jan. 9, junior Todd Fletcher became the 22nd player in school history to dish out 200 career assists. The school began keeping assists as a season total in 1972. He his currently ranked 15th on the school's career list with 234 assists.

Broekhuis, Williams Each Pick Up First Career Double-Double

Junior Taylor Broekhuis played arguably the best game of his career in the championship game of the All-Military Classic on Nov. 12 against VMI. The 6-10 center from Colorado Springs scored 18 points, two shy of his career high, and pulled down a career-best 12 rebounds to post the first double-double of his career. His 12 rebounds were the most by a Falcon in one game since Jacob Burtschi hauled down 12 at Stanford on Nov. 15, 2006. Broekhuis collected his second career double-double on Jan. 14 at Boise State with 15 points and 10 boards.

Kamryn Williams posted his first career double-double on Jan. 9 against Texas-Pan American with 11 points and a career-high 10 rebounds, including seven on the offensive end. His seven offensive rebounds were the most by a Falcon in one game since Burtschi had seven vs. IPFW on Dec. 31, 2005.

Lyons Returns to Conference Stat Leaders

After playing against San Diego State on Saturday, junior Michael Lyons has now played in 75 percent of Air Force's games this season, once again making him eligible for the Mountain West statistical charts. Lyons is currently tied for No. 2 in scoring in the league (16 ppg), No. 3 in field-goal percentage (47.7%) and No. 8 in free-throw percentage (74.6%) for all games.

In conference games only, he leads the league in 3-point percentage (46.9%) and is third in scoring at 15.7 points per game.

Carter Ties School Record for Steals in First Career Game

Five freshmen saw action for Air Force during the opening weekend, but none had a better start than Chris Carter. The 6-3 guard from Port St. Lucie, Fla., had nine points, seven rebounds and seven steals in his first career game against Army. His seven steals tied the school record for one game and were the most by a Falcon since Tim Anderson, the 2007-08 Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year, had seven against San Diego State at the Mountain West Tournament on March 13, 2008.

Lyons in Search of 1,000 Points

Junior Michael Lyons is on track to become the 23rd player in Air Force history to reach the 1,000-point plateau. Lyons, who has appeared in 80 career games, has 926 career points and is 32nd on the school's career scoring list. The last Falcon to join the 1,000-point club was Matt McCraw in 2007. The last junior to join the club was Otis Jones in 1994.

Fitzgerald No. 9 on AFA's Career 3-Point Percentage List

Junior Mike Fitzgerald attempted his 150th career 3-pointer on Jan. 3 against Johnson & Wales, making him eligible for Air Force's career list for three-point percentage. Fitzgerald is shooting 38.9 percent (75-for-193) for his career, placing him No. 9 on the list.

Falcons 19th in the Nation in Scoring Defense

Air Force is ranked 19th in the nation (338 teams ranked) in scoring defense according to the national Division I statistical summary released by the NCAA on Monday, Feb. 20. The Falcons are allowing just 59.4 points per game.

60 Points Seems to be the Key

Air Force is 9-6 this season when it scores 60 points or more and 4-5 when scoring less than 60. The four wins are against Wright St. (55-34), Eastern Michigan (42-37), Wyoming (58-53) and SDSU (58-56).

Defensively speaking, the Falcons are 10-2 when allowing less than 60 points and 3-9 when allowing 60 or more.

Still a Great Record at Clune

Including their 10-5 record this season, the Falcons have been hard to beat at Clune Arena the last eight seasons. Since the beginning of the 2003-04 season, Air Force has won 105 of its 140 home games, good for a .750 winning percentage. In addition, the Falcons have won 41 of their 69 Mountain West games at Clune during that same stretch (.594 pct).

No Offensive Boards, Not a Problem

Air Force had zero offensive rebounds against Wyoming last Wednesday, the first time that has happened since Feb. 15, 2003. Interestingly, Air Force won that game as well, 80-75 over Colorado State. In fact, Air Force had just three offensive boards on Saturday against San Diego State and has zero second chance points in its last two games.

Players Mentioned

Tim Anderson

Taylor Broekhuis

Mike Fitzgerald

Todd Fletcher

Michael Lyons

Kamryn Williams

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