Falcons host Nevada in key MW game
1/7/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Television:.................... None
Video Stream:............ MW Network
Vince Greco (play-by-play), Josh Howe (analyst)
Radio:............................... KVOR AM 740
Jim Arthur (play-by-play), Matt Pauley (analyst)
THE BREAKDOWN
Quick Facts Air Force Nevada
Record:..................... 10-5............................................................ 9-6
Conf. Record:...... 1-1............................................................... 1-2
Streak:........................ L 1................................................................ L 1
Last Game:............. at Wyoming (1/6)............................ at Fresno State (1/6)
L 52-64 L 63-85
Next Game:........... at Utah State (1/12)...................... vs. Boise State (1/13)
Conference:.......... Mountain West................................. Mountain West
Nickname:............. Falcons..................................................... Wolf Pack
Location:................. Colorado Springs, CO.................. Reno, NV
Website:................... GoAirForceFalcons.com.............. NevadaWolfPack.com
THE COACHES
Head Coach:......... Dave Pilipovich................................. Eric Musselman
Alma Mater:......... Thiel College, 1986........................ San Diego, 1987
School Record:... 56-60 (4th season).......................... 9-6 (1st season)
Career Record:.... Same......................................................... Same
THE SERIES
Overall:..................... Nevada leads 4-2
First Meeting:..... Jan. 9, 2013 at USAFA (Air Force 78-65)
Last Meeting:...... Feb. 25, 2015 at USAFA (Air Force 75-70)
Streaks...................... Air Force W 1
THE SERIES
Air Force and Nevada are meeting for the seventh time overall, all as conference foes. Nevada leads the series, 4-2. Air Force is 0-3 on the road and 2-1 at home. The two split last season, each winning at home. The Wolf Pack won 80-62 in Reno on Jan. 3 while Air Force was a 75-70 winner at home Feb. 25. The team's first played on Jan. 9, 2013 at the Academy. Air Force won the game, 78-65.
LAST SEASON VS. NEVADA
Jan. 3, 2015 at Nevada
Marqueze Coleman had 18 points, AJ West added 16 points and 13 rebounds and Nevada beat Air Force 80-62.
D.J. Fenner scored 17 points for Nevada, which never trailed in the game.
Marek Olesinski had 19 points to lead Air Force. Justin Hammonds had all of his 14 points in the second half and Max Yon added 13 points for the Falcons.
Nevada led 34-21 at halftime and maintained a double-digit lead until Olesinski hit a short jumper and a 3-pointer on consecutive possessions to pull Air Force to within 57-48 with 8:52 left.
The Wolf Pack responded with a 10-3 run - on a pair of baskets by Coleman and six free throws by West - to stretch the lead back to 67-51 with 5:07 left and Air Force couldn't answer.
Nevada dominated the rebounding 38-25 and grabbed 17 offensive rebounds, including nine by West. The Wolf Pack had 20 second-chance points, while the Falcons had only six.
The biggest difference was at the free throw line, where Nevada hit 25 of 35 and Air Force was 10 of 18.
Nevada used a 23-9 run through the middle of the first half to lead 32-14 with 3:32 left in the first half. Air Force closed it to 34-21 at halftime with a 7-2 run.
Feb. 25, 2015 at USAFA
Marek Olesinski and Zach Kocur scored 18 points each to lead four players in double figures as Air Force beat Nevada, 75-70 in Clune Arena.
Max Yon added 13 points and Hayden Graham chipped in with his second double-double of the season with 12 points and a team-high 10 rebounds to help the Falcons win their fourth straight home game, the most since 2012-13.
Air Force opened the second half with a 7-3 spurt to take a 39-36 lead with 16:52 left. Following a pair of baskets by Nevada, Air Force got a traditional three-point play by Marek Olesinski to give Air Force a 42-40 lead and Max Yon hit a three following a Nevada turnover to push the lead to five, 45-40 with 14:00 remaining. The Falcons, who won for just the second time after trailing at the half (33-32), never trailed again and pushed the lead to as many as 13 points, 65-52, with 3:20 left.
The Falcons hit 53.3 percent from the field, including 50 percent from 3-point range. Air Force improved to 8-2 when doing so. Nevada hit 46.2 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from 3-point territory. The Wolf Pack struggled at the free throw line, hitting just 14 of 32.
Nevada was led by Eric Cooper, Jr., who scored 20 points. D.J. Fenner added 18 and Tyron Criswell 12. AJ West chipped in with 11 points and a game-high 16 rebounds.
AN AIR FORCE WIN WOULD...
- Air Force would improve to 9-1 at home this season, the best home start since 2011-12 when the team was 9-1. The last time Air Force started better through 10 games was 10-0 in 2006-07.
- The Falcons would improve to 2-1 in the MW.
- Air Force would improve to 3-4 all-time vs. Nevada, including a two game winning streak.
AIR FORCE'S LAST GAME
Josh Adams scored 20 points and had 10 rebounds to lead Wyoming past Air Force, 64-52, Wednesday in a Mountain West game in Laramie, Wyo.
Wyoming, who led 31-23 at halftime, opened the second half with a 9-2 spurt to take its biggest lead of the game, 40-25, with 16:27 left. All nine points came via the 3-pointer from three different players. The Falcons responded with a 16-2 run to cut the lead to 42-41, with 10:45 remaining in the game. Wyoming hit back-to-back 3-pointers to push the lead back to six, 47-41, and steadily pulled away from there.
The Cowboys finished the game hitting 43.1 percent from the field, but hit 11 3-pointers and shot 39.3 percent from beyond the arc. The Cowboys also out-rebounded Air Force, 38-31. Jeremy Lieberman added 13 points while Jason McManamen chipped in with 10.
Air Force hit just 37.0 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from 3-point range. The Falcons hit just 54.5 percent (6-11) from the free throw line after hitting better than 80 percent in the previous two games. Trevor Lyons led the Falcons with 14 points, all coming in the second half after being limited with foul trouble in the first stanza. Hayden Graham added 13 points and three assists and Zach Kocur finished with 11 points, all in the first half, and a career-high eight rebounds.
Wyoming used an 18-2 run midway through the first half to take control of the game in the first half. The Falcons had build its largest lead, 17-13, with 9:46 remaining before the Cowboys used the spurt to take its biggest lead, 31-19, with 4:32 remaining. The Falcons closed the half with the final four points, all by Graham. Wyoming took the lead for good, 18-17, with 8:55 remaining in the first half.
Post-Game Notes
Team Notes
- Air Force's 23 points in the first half mark its lowest output since scoring a season-low 16 at Ohio State Dec. 8. The Falcons trailed at the half (31-23) for the first time since trailing 43-32 vs. Army Dec. 12. The Falcons had led at the half in four straight games.
- Air Force's 52 points is the lowest since scoring a season-low 50 at Ohio State earlier this season (12-8-15).
- Air Force had its season-high four-game winning streak snapped. The Falcons also had a three-game winning streak in Laramie snapped. Air Force lost in Laramie for the first time since Feb. 23, 2011.
Individual Notes
- Junior Zach Kocur scored 11 points to mark his seventh double figure scoring game of the season and first in the last three games. He matched his season high with three 3-pointers. Kocur also grabbed a career-high eight rebounds. His previous high was seven vs. Robert Morris earlier this season (11-22-15).
- Junior Hayden Graham scored 13 points to mark his 12th double figure scoring game of the season.
- Junior Joe Tuss scored a career-high 10 points, all coming in the second half, to mark his first-career double figure scoring game. Tuss matched his career high with two 3-pointers. His previous scoring high was seven points vs. UC Davis earlier this season (12-19-15).
- Sophomore Trevor Lyons scored 14 points to mark his team-leading 13th game in double figures. Lyons scored all of his points in the second half.
FALCONS 8-1 AT HOME
Air Force is 8-1 at home this season. The last time Air Force opened better than 8-1 was 2006-07 when the team opened 13-0 at home.
Air Force's eight home wins is tied with Boise State for the second most in the conference. Fresno State leads the conference with nine home wins.
FALCONS LEADING AT HOME
Air Force has played with the lead for all but 11:40 over the last three home games. The Falcons never trailed vs. Western State Dec. 29 and
Johnson & Wales Dec. 22. When San Jose State took a 6-4 lead with 16:24 remaining in the first half last Saturday it snapped a streak of 43:36 of game time that Air Force never trailed. Air Force led for 32:40 vs. San Jose State.
Opponent Time Leading
San Jose State 32:40
Western State 40:00
Johnson & Wales 40:00
Total 112:40
Total Game Time 120:00
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 has out rebounded five opponents and tied one in the last nine games. Air Force out-rebounded Citadel, 47-33, and Denver, 37-22, before matching Ohio State with 35. Army out-rebound Air Force, 41-38, and UC Davis held a 37-30 edge. The Falcons out-rebounded UC Davis, 20-14, in the second half. Air Force out-rebounded Johnson & Wales, 42-33, Western State, 38-37, and San Jose State, 37-35. Wyoming out-rebounded Air Force, 38-31.
The Falcons are 6-0 this season when out-rebounding an opponent. Air Force also held the edge against Robert Morris (47-36).
FREE THROW SHOOTING IMPROVED
Air Force is shooting 68.5 percent from the free throw line this season, despite a 54.5 percent (6-11) effort at Wyoming the last game. Air Force had hit 81.0 percent (68-84) the three games prior, including an 83.3 clip (25-30) vs. San Jose State.
The Falcons were up and down earlier this season, shooting over 80 percent five times while shooting under a 60 percent four times.
Air Force's season high is 84.6 percent vs. Robert Morris while the season low is 44.4 percent at Colorado.
SEVEN LINEUPS IN 15 GAMES
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 seven times, the most of any lineup and posted a 5-2 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 68.5 mark. The Falcons rank third in field goal percentage defense with a 40.6 mark and fourth in 3-point field goal percentage defense with a 32.1 norm.
Air Force has not allowed a team to shoot 50 percent or better in 10 straight games. The Falcons have four of the last five 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.
THIS AND THAT
- Air Force is one of four teams in the MW with double digit wins. Air Force's 10 wins is tied for third, trailing only Boise State and Fresno State, who each has 11.
- Air Force is 6-4 in the last 10 games which is tied for second in the MW. 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.
- Air Force's non-conference RPI of 107 is the fourth-best in the MW.
- The Falcons are currently tied for fifth in the MW with a 1-1 mark. The team was picked 10th in the preseason poll.
FIELD GOAL SHOOTING
Air Force is shooting 43.5 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
