Trevor Lyons leads Falcons past Mississippi Valley State
11/19/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Sophomore Trevor Lyons hit a driving layup with one second left to lead Air Force past Mississippi Valley State, 65-64, in a non-conference men's basketball Thursday night in Clune Arena.
Lyons, who scored a career-high 19 points, hit two free throws with 16 second left to put the Falcons ahead, 63-62. Junior Rashaan Surles hit a driving layup with 5.5 second left to give MVSU the lead back, 64-63, before Lyons drove the length of the floor to hit his game-winner. The game featured 14 lead changes, including 11 in final eight minutes, and was tied nine times.
Air Force overcame a 14 point halftime deficit, 42-29, despite shooting just 38.3 percent shooting overall and 38.7 in the second half. The Falcons held the Delta Devils to just 26.7 percent shooting in the second half after a 55 percent mark in the first half.
Air Force used a 10-0 run early in the second half to cut the lead to 47-43 with 15:41 left. Following a 6-1 MVSU spurt, the Falcons used an 11-1 run to take their first lead since the midway part of the first half, 55-54, with 8:00 remaining to set up the last 11 lead changes. Lyons had six points in the spurt.
Hayden Graham added 14 points and eight rebounds for Air Force while Joe Tuss chipped in with career bests of six points and 10 rebounds. Ryan Manning added a career-best nine points and four rebounds while Zach Kocur had eight points and a season-best six rebounds.
The Falcons finished the game hitting just 38.3 percent from the field, including just three of 21 from 3-point range. Air Force assisted on 15 of 23 field goals and had 40 rebounds.
MVSU was led by Damian Young, Kylan Phillips and Latrell Love, who scored 11 points each. The Delta Devils fall to 0-2 on the season while Air Force improves to 2-1. The Falcons are 2-0 in the Air Force Classic, an exempt event that features four home games.
