Falcons Play at Nevada on Saturday
1/31/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 31, 2014
GAME #20
Air Force Falcons vs. Nevada Wolf Pack
Saturday, Feb. 1, 2014
3:05 p.m. at Reno, Nev.
SITE
Location | Reno, Nev.
Arena | Lawlor Events Center
Capacity | 11,536
RADIO
Network | Air Force / IMG Radio Network
Station | AM 740 KVOR, Colo. Spgs.
Play-by-Play | Jim Arthur
Analyst | Matt Pauley
TELEVISION
None
LIVE VIDEO
Live Streaming | Mountain West Network
LIVE STATS
Gametracker | goairforcefalcons.com
COACHES
Dave Pilipovich (Thiel College, 1986)
Air Force | 29-30, Third Season
Overall | Same
David Carter (St. Mary's, 1989)
Nevada | 85-68, Fifth Season
Overall | Same
ALL-TIME SERIES
Overall | Series tied 1-1
At Reno | Nevada leads 1-0
First Game | Jan. 9, 2013
Result | Air Force won 78-65
First Game | Feb. 9, 2013
Result | Nevada won 74-69
Current Streak | Nevada - 1
Falcons Play at Nevada on Saturday
The Air Force men's basketball team takes on the Nevada Wolf Pack on Saturday, Feb. 1 in Reno, Nev. Tip-off at the Lawlor Events Center is scheduled for 3:05 p.m. Air Force is 9-10 overall and 3-5 in the Mountain West after losing at Boise State 69-58 on Wednesday, while Nevada is 11-10 and 6-2 after defeating Colorado State 76-67 at home on Wednesday.
All-Time Series vs. Nevada
These two teams have split the two games in the all-time series with each team winning at home last season, Nevada's first in the Mountain West. Air Force took a 78-65 decision in the conference opener at Clune Arena and Nevada won 74-69 in Reno.
Home Sweet Home - In League Play
Despite its 66-59 loss to Wyoming at home on Jan. 22, Air Force has been very impressive at Clune Arena in league play recently. Air Force is 9-3 in its last 12 Mountain West games at Clune Arena. The Falcons are 2-2 this season after going 7-1 at home in league play last season. Air Force is tied for fourth in the Mountain West for the most home league wins the last two years.
Up Next
The Falcons return home to face the Fresno State Bulldogs on Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 7:05 p.m.
Fewest 3s in Over 3 Years
Air Force's six 3-point attempts at Boise State on Wednesday were the fewest in a game since attempting six at Wright State on Dec. 8, 2010.
Olesinski Joins Career 3-Point Pct. List
Junior Marek Olesinski attempted his 150th career 3-pointer on Jan. 22 against Wyoming, making him eligible for the school's career 3-point percentage list. He joined the list at No. 5 and is currently tied for No. 4 at 41.8% (64-153) after a perfect 3-for-3 performance at Boise State on Wednesday.
70 Seems to be the Key
Air Force is 7-3 this season when it scores 70 points or more and 2-7 when scoring less than 70. Defensively speaking, the Falcons are 7-2 when allowing 70 points or less and 2-8 when allowing more than 70. The last two games are the only losses when allowing 70 points or less.
Air Force Still Looking for Fifth Win vs. Ranked Opponent
Air Force's game against 13th-ranked San Diego State on Jan. 12 was the first against a ranked opponent this season. The Falcons are now 4-80 against ranked opponents in program history, but three of those victories have come under Dave Pilipovich. The four victories came against No. 21 UTEP (75-72) on Feb. 15, 1992, No. 13/15 San Diego State (58-56) on Feb. 18, 2012, No. 22/20 San Diego State (70-67) on Feb. 2, 2013 and No. 12/11 New Mexico (89-88) on March 9, 2013. All four victories have been at Clune Arena.
Williams Posts Career-High 11 Boards vs. Utah State
Junior Kamryn Williams pulled down a career-high 11 rebounds on Jan. 1 against Utah State, the most boards in one game by a Falcon since Taylor Broekhuis had 12 against VMI on Nov. 12, 2011. Williams followed that performance with nine rebounds on Jan. 4 against UNLV and his 20 rebounds in a two-game span were the most by a Falcon since Tom Bellairs collected 25 vs. UT-Pan American (12) and Wyoming (13) on Jan. 24 and 27, 2001.
Yon Nets Career-High 24 vs. South Dakota
Junior Max Yon scored a career-high 24 points against South Dakota on Dec. 5. He was 8-of-18 from the field and 6-of-9 from the free-throw line against the Coyotes. It was Yon's second 20-point effort this season as he notched 22, all in the second half, against Jackson State on Nov. 14. He made a career-best six 3-pointers against JSU.
Tale of Two Halves
Including a 33-point increase (49-16) on Jan. 8 against Fresno State and an 18-point increase (45-27) vs. San Diego State on Jan. 12, Air Force has scored 195 more points in the second half than the first half this season. The Falcons, who have trailed at halftime in 12 of their 19 games this season, have scored 581 points in the first half and 776 in the second half so far this year. Air Force has scored more points in the first half than the second just six times this season, including four of its eight league games.
5 in Double Figures for First Time in Three Years
Five Falcons scored in double figures against South Dakota on Dec. 5, the first time that has happened since Nov. 20, 2010 against Tennessee State. It also happened the next game against Western State on Dec. 9, marking the first time AFA had five players in double figures in consecutive games since the first two games of the '98-99 season.
Most Points in a Half Since '99
Air Force's 62 points in the second half against South Dakota on Dec. 5 were the most in a half by a Falcon team since scoring 65 in the second half vs. Denver on Feb. 16, 1999.
Hammonds Posts First Double-Double vs. Western State
Junior forward Justin Hammonds posted the first double-double of his career on Dec. 9 with 14 points and a career-high 10 rebounds vs. Western State. Hammonds, who made his season debut on Nov. 14 against Jackson State after leaving the team over the summer to concentrate on academics, also tied his career high with four assists against the Mountaineers. Hammonds returned to the team on Nov. 12 and played 19 minutes vs. Jackson State. He then started the following game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Nov. 17.
Coggins Scores Most Points by a Sophomore Since '57
Tre' Coggins' career-high 35 points on Nov. 14 against Jackson State were the fourth-most in one game by an Air Force sophomore in school history. The top three marks were set by Bob Beckel during the program's first season in 1956-57. Beckel had games of 48, 47 and 46 that season.
Coggins' 35 points tied for No. 18 on Air Force's single-game scoring list, equalling point-totals by Otis Jones vs. Doane on Dec. 3, 1994 and Raymond Dudley vs. San Diego State on Feb. 4, 1989.
Several Career Highs vs. Western State
Freshmen Zach Kocur (15) and Hayden Graham (13) and junior Ethan Michael (5) each posted a career high for points on Dec. 9 against Western State. Additionally, juniors Justin Hammonds (10), Max Yon (9), Kocur (4), sophomore Zach Moer (3) and junior Scott Adler (2) had career-high rebound totals.
Darrius Parker Makes First Career Start Count
Freshman Darrius Parker made his first career start on Nov. 20 against Colorado Christian and scored a career-high 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting. He also pulled down five rebounds and dished out two assists against the Cougars.
Big Personnel Losses
Air Force entered the 2013-14 campaign without its top seven scorers (five players graduated, one left the program and junior DeLovell Earls was injured) and its top five rebounders (including Earls) from last season. Only 22.4 percent of the team's scoring and 40 percent of the rebounding returned this season. Air Force's starting lineup in the season opener vs. Army started zero games and averaged 12.7 points per game last season. In fact, the current Air Force roster entered this season with just 39 career starts (DeLovell Earls 22, Kamryn Williams 14, Justin Hammonds 3).
Coggins First with Four Straight 20+ Games in 19 Years
With his 27-point performance last Wednesday against San Jose State, Tre' Coggins became the first Air Force player to score at least 20 points in four consecutive games since Otis Jones in the last four games of the 1994-95 season. Jones is also the last Falcon to score 20 or more points in five straight games, the first five contests of the '94-95 campaign.
Falcons Win at UNLV For Just Second Time Ever
Air Force's 75-68 victory at UNLV on Jan. 4 was just the second win in 22 tries in Las Vegas. The only previous win over the Rebels at the Thomas & Mack Center came on Jan. 25, 2006 (52-50). It was also just the sixth road conference win for Air Force since the 2007-08 season.
