Falcons travel to Utah State for key MW matchup
1/10/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Television:.................... ROOT Sports
Drew Goodman (play-by-play), Joe Cravens (analyst)
Radio:............................... KVOR AM 740
Jim Arthur (play-by-play), Matt Pauley (analyst)
THE BREAKDOWN
Quick Facts Air Force Utah State
Record:..................... 10-6............................................................ 9-6
Conf. Record:...... 1-2............................................................... 1-3
Streak:........................ L 2................................................................ L 3
Last Game:............. vs. Nevada (1/9)................................ at New Mexico (1/9)
L 63-86 L 59-77
Next Game:........... at UNLV (1/16)................................... at Colorado State (1/16)
Conference:.......... Mountain West................................. Mountain West
Nickname:............. Falcons..................................................... Aggies
Location:................. Colorado Springs, CO.................. Logan, UT
Website:................... GoAirForceFalcons.com.............. UtahStateAggies.com
THE COACHES
Head Coach:......... Dave Pilipovich................................. Tim Duryea
Alma Mater:......... Thiel College, 1986........................ North Texas, 1988
School Record:... 56-61 (4th season).......................... 9-6 (1st season)
Career Record:.... Same......................................................... Same
THE SERIES
Overall:..................... Utah State leads, 12-3
First Meeting:..... Feb. 15, 1963 at USAFA (Air Force, 66-65)
Last Meeting:...... Feb. 28, 2015 at USAFA (Utah State, 74-60)
Streaks...................... Utah State W 2
THE SERIES
Air Force and Utah State are meeting for the 16th time overall and fourth as conference opponents. Utah State leads the series 12-3 overall, including a 1-2 mark in conference games. The Aggies are 8-0 at home against Air Force. Utah State swept last season's series, winning 71-59 at home and 74-60 at the Academy. The teams first played Feb. 15, 1963 at the Academy. Air Force won the game, 66-65.
LAST SEASON VS. UTAH STATE
Jan. 17, 2015 in Logan
Chris Smith scored 20 points to lead Utah State past the Air Force Academy, 71-59.
Smith was 6 of 7 from 3-point range. Jalen Moore added 15 points - his 15th consecutive double-digit game - and six rebounds for the Aggies (10-7, 3-2 Mountain West). Darius Perkins had 11 points and 10 assists.
The Falcons (8-9, 1-5) were led by Zach Kocur with a career-high 20 points, while Trevor Lyons added 16 points.
Down 10 at the half, Air Force opened the second on an 11-2 run, including 3-pointers by Kocur and Lyons, to draw within one. Utah State answered with two consecutive 3s by Smith to extend the lead to 47-40 midway through the half. The Aggies maintained the lead throughout the rest of the game.
Utah State shot 54 percent from the floor, including 13 of 23 beyond the arc.
Feb. 28, 2015 at USAFA
Julion Pearre scored 21 points to lead four Aggies in double figures as Utah State defeated Air Force, 74-60, Saturday in Clune Arena.
Utah State closed the first half with a 9-3 run to take a 30-21 halftime lead. Air Force scored the first two baskets of the second half to cut the lead to five points, but the Aggies pushed it back to double digits, 35-25, with 17:38 left. Air Force was only able to cut it below double figures five times after that, the last coming with 5:38 left. The Aggies scored the next seven points after that to put the game away.
Utah State hit 48.0 percent from the field and out-rebounded Air Force, 36-33. Jalen Moore added 10 points and 10 rebounds while Chris Smith had 16 and David Collette 13.
Air Force was led by Hayden Graham, who had team highs of 16 points and 12 rebounds. Max Yon added 13 points and Zach Kocur 11. The Falcons shot just 40.3 percent from the field, including 19 percent from 3-point range. The team also hit just six of 14 free throws.
AN AIR FORCE WIN WOULD...
- Air Force would snap a two-game losing streak and improve to 2-2 in Mountain West play.
- The Falcons would pick up their third road win of the season which would tie Utah State for the conference lead.
- Air Force would improve to 11-5 overall.
AIR FORCE'S LAST GAME
Tyron Criswell scored 19 points to lead five players in double figures at Nevada defeated Air Force, 86-63, Saturday afternoon in a Mountain West game in Clune Arena.
Trevor Lyons scored 19 points to lead Air Force (10-6, 1-2), which has lost back-to-back games since snapping its four-game win streak.
D.J. Fenner and Eric Cooper Jr. added 16 points apiece for Nevada (10-6, 2-2 Mountain West). Marqueze Coleman added 12 points with a career-high 12 rebounds, and Cameron Oliver chipped in 12 points with a career-best seven assists.
Nevada had a double-digit lead midway through the first half, and closed on a 16-10 spurt to build a 44-27 halftime lead. Coleman scored seven points while Air Force shot 2 of 8 from the floor and missed four free throws during the stretch.
Lyons scored five points as part of a 9-3 surge to pull the Falcons within 14-points midway through the second half but Air Force did not get closer.
Post-Game Notes
Team Notes
- Air Force improved its school record streak of consecutive games with a 3-pointer to 197 games dating back to Nov. 21, 2009 vs. Northern Colorado.
- Juniors Kyle Broekhuis and Zach Kocur each had double figures in rebounding. Air Force has had four players grabbed 10 or more rebounds in a game this season. They join Hayden Graham and Joe Tuss.
Individual Notes
- Junior Hayden Graham scored 11 points to go over the 500-point mark for his career. Graham has 507 career points which ranks 75th in Air Force history.
- Junior Kyle Broekhuis recorded a career-high 11 rebounds. His previous high was seven earlier this season vs. San Jose State (1-2-16).
- Junior Zach Kocur recorded a career-high 10 rebounds. His previous high was eight at Wyoming in Air Force's last game (1-6-16). Kocur has grabbed four or more rebounds in seven straight games.
- Sophomore Trevor Lyons scored 19 points to mark his team-leading 14th game in double figures this season. Lyons also matched his career high with 13 free throw attempts, hitting 10.
FALCONS 8-2 AT HOME
Air Force is 8-2 at home this season. The last time Air Force opened better than 8-2 was 2011-12 when the team opened 9-1 at home.
Air Force's eight home wins is tied for third in the Mountain West with New Mexico. Boise State (9-0) and Fresno State (9-2) lead the conference with nine home wins.
AIR FORCE IS.....
- 6-1 when leading at the half
- 8-1 when leading with 10:00 left
- 6-0 when out-rebounding opponent
- 6-2 when out-shooting opponent
- 8-1 when holding opponents under 70 points
6-1 IN CLOSE GAMES
Air Force is 6-1 overall and has won six straight games decided by seven points or less. The team's loss came in the season opener at Southern Illinois, 77-75.
HITTING THE BOARDS
Air Force is 6-0 this season when out-rebounding an opponent. The Falcons have out-rebounded five of their last 10 opponents. Air Force is averaging 37.0 rebounds per game this season.
FREE THROW SHOOTING UP AND DOWN
Air Force is shooting 67.7 percent from the free throw line this season.
The Falcons have hit over 80 percent five times while shooting under a 60 percent five times.
Air Force's season high is 84.6 percent vs. Robert Morris while the season low is 44.4 percent at Colorado. The Falcons have hit just 57.8 percent (26-45) the last two games. In the three games prior, Air Force hit 81.0 percent (68-84), including an 83.3 clip (25-30) vs. San Jose State.
SEVEN LINEUPS
Air Force has used seven different starting lineups this season. The current lineup of Trevor Lyons (G), Zach Kocur (G), Hayden Graham (F), Kyle Broekhuis (F) and Zach Moer (C) has started eight times, the most of any lineup and posted a 5-3 record.
Three Falcons have made the first start of their careers this season: Zach Moer, Joe Tuss and Kyle Broekhuis. Two other Falcons have started every game this season: Zach Kocur and Trevor Lyons. Moer and Graham have started all 14 games they have played this season, but each missed one game due to injury.
FALCONS DEFENSE IMPROVED
Air Force ranks fifth in the MW in scoring defense with a 69.6 mark. The Falcons rank fourth in field goal percentage defense with a 43.1 mark and fourth in 3-point field goal percentage defense with a 32.4 norm.
Air Force has not allowed a team to shoot 50 percent or better in 11 straight games. The Falcons have four of the last six opponents under 40 percent shooting. Air Force has allowed only two opponents (Colorado, Army) to shoot 40 percent or better from 3-point range this season.
FIELD GOAL SHOOTING
Air Force is shooting 43.1 percent from the field this season. The Falcons have out-shot eight opponents and are 6-2 when doing so. The team has hit over 50 percent four times, winning each game.
The Falcons shot a season-high 59.2 percent effort vs. Tennessee Tech and hit 55.2 percent against Citadel. Air Force hit 50 percent against UC Davis which is the best in a road game this season. The Falcons hit 53.8 percent vs. Western State.
50 percent games
Opponent FG Pct.
Tennessee Tech (W) 59.2
Citadel (W) 55.2
UC Davis (W) 50.0
Western State (W) 53.8
THIS AND THAT
- Air Force is one of seven teams in the MW with double digit wins.
- Air Force is 6-4 in the last 10 games which is tied for second in the MW with Nevada and San Diego State. Only Boise State's 9-1 mark is better.
- The Falcons have two true road wins which is tied for second in the conference. Utah State leads the conference with three.
GRAHAM AMONG MW LEADERS
Junior Hayden Graham is ninth in the MW in scoring and eighth in rebounding. He is also second in field goal percentage (53.9) and second in minutes played (35.3). He ranks in the top 10 in seven categories overall.
Graham has averaged 17.6 points over the last five games while topping the 20-point mark twice. He has hit 71.4 percent (10-14) of his 3-pointers, including a career-best five-of-five vs. Western State. His effort is the best in terms of percentage in the conference this season.
APPROACHING MILESTONE
Junior Zach Kocur and sophomore Trevor Lyons are approaching the 500-point milestone for their careers. Kocur has 489 points and Lyons 487. Reaching the 500-point mark would place them among the top 75 scorers in school history.
Junior Hayden Graham recently reached the 500-point mark after scoring 11 points vs. Nevada and has 507. Graham is also a member the 250-rebound (259) club.
Name Points
Zach Kocur 489 -- 11 for 500
Trevor Lyons 487 -- 13 for 500
LYONS LEADS TEAM
Sophomore guard Trevor Lyons leads the team in scoring (15.1), assists (3.3) and steals (1.9). Lyons is seventh in the Mountain West in scoring, 10th in assists, second in steals, sixth in assists/turnover ratio (1.6) and sixth in minutes played (33.3).
Lyons scored a game-high 19 points to lead Air Force against Nevada. He matched his career high with 22 points and hit a career-best 11 free throws (12 attempts) vs. San Jose State. He also matched his career high with three 3-pointers and grabbed six rebounds and had three assists.
Lyons has hit the game-winner twice this season. Lyons scored 19 points against Mississippi Valley State, including a driving layup with one second left to win the game. Lyons did it at both ends against New Mexico State. He hit the game-winning layup with eight seconds left, then forced a charge on New Mexico's State's next possession with 2.5 seconds left and Air Force leading 65-64. The Aggies fouled Lyons on the inbounds pass and he hit one of two free throws with 1.3 seconds to seal the win.
TEAM/INDIVIDUAL STREAKS
Team
- Air Force has not allowed a team to shoot 50 percent or better in 11 straight games.
- Air Force has not allowed a team to shoot 40 percent or better from 3-point range the last six games.
- The Falcons have won six straight games decided by seven points or less.
Individual
- Senior Zach Moer has blocked at least one shot in six of the last seven games.
- Junior Hayden Graham has scored in double figures in six straight games.
- Sophomore Trevor Lyons has scored in double figures in four straight and 10 of the last 11 games.
- Junior Zach Kocur has grabbed four or more rebounds in seven straight games.
