Air Force hosts Fresno State
1/19/2018 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
THE GAME
Air Force returns home after a two-game road swing to host Fresno State Saturday, Jan. 20, at Clune Arena (5,843). This will be the second meeting between the two this season. Fresno State beat Air Force, 71-59, Dec. 30 in Fresno.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Television: AT&T Sports Network (Drew Goodman, Sed Bonner)
Radio:........ KVOR AM 740 (Jim Arthur)
SIRIUS 132, XM 201, Internet 962
THE BREAKDOWN
Quick Facts Air Force Fresno State
Record:............ 8-10 14-6
Conf. Record:... 2-4 4-3
Streak:............. W 2 W 2
Last Game:....... at Colorado St. (1/17) at San Diego State (1/17)
Result:............. W 76-71 W 77-73
Next Game:..... at Utah State (1/24) vs. UNLV (1/23)
Conference:..... Mountain West Mountain West
Nickname:....... Falcons Bulldogs
Location:.......... Colorado Springs, CO Fresno, CA
Website:......... GoAirForceFalcons.com GoBulldogs.com
THE COACHES
Category Air Force Fresno State
Head Coach..... Dave Pilipovich Rodney Terry
Alma Mater..... Thiel College, 1986 St. Edwards, 1990
School Record.. 80-104 (6th season) 119-103 (7th season)
Career Record.. Same Same
THE SERIES
Overall.................................... Fresno State leads, 18-6
First Meeting........................... Nov. 28, 1990 at Fresno (Fresno State, 55-40)
Last Meeting........................... Dec. 30, 2017 at Fresno (Fresno State, 71-59)
Streaks.................................... Fresno State W2
THE SERIES
Air Force and Fresno State are meeting for the 25th time. The Bulldogs lead the series 18-6. Air Force is 4-6 at home, 2-11 at Fresno and 0-1 in neutral site games. Fresno State defeated Air Force, 71-59, earlier this season in Fresno.
The teams split last season with each winning at home. Air Force snapped a seven-game Fresno State winning streak with an 81-72 victory in Clune Arena. Fresno State beat Air Force, 73-64, in Fresno. The teams first played Nov. 28, 1980 in Fresno, Calif. The Bulldogs won, 55-40.
EARLIER THIS SEASON VS. FRESNO STATE
(Dec. 30 at Fresno State)
Deshon Taylor scored 18 points and Ray Bowles added 16 to lead Fresno State past Air Force, 71-59, Dec. 30 in the Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif.
Taylor scored six of Fresno State's final eight points over the final 2:46, hitting four of six free throws, to help the Bulldogs put the game away. Air Force had cut the lead to seven points, 63-56, on a layup by Trevor Lyons, but the Falcons managed just three free throws the rest of the way as Fresno State out-scored them 8-3 from that point.
Jahmel Taylor added 10 points for Fresno State, which shot 53.2 percent from the field, including a 63.6 clip in the second half. The Bulldogs out-rebounded Air Force, 34-22 and had 16 assists on 25 field goals. Air Force hit just 37.8 percent from the field, including a 35.3 mark from three. The Falcons hit 86.4 percent from the free throw line, hitting 19 of 22, and had 12 turnovers.
Ryan Swan led the Falcons with 13 points. Lavelle Scottie added nine points and team bests of five rebounds and four assists. Freshman Keaton Van Soelen, who started for the first time of his career, added eight points and four rebounds.
Air Force scored six straight points to take a 15-11 lead with 11:27 to play in the first half. Fresno State responded with a 14-0 run over the next 6:51 to take a 25-15 lead with 5:43 left. Trevor Lyons finally broke the run with a field goal with 4:38 left to make it 25-17. Following a pair of Fresno State hoops, the Falcons closed the half with a 7-2 run over the last 3:13 while holding the Bulldogs without a field goal to close the gap to 31-24 at the half.
POST-GAME NOTES
Team Notes
- Air Force starters for the Fresno State game: Trevor Lyons (G), Jacob Van (G), Keaton Van Soelen (F), Lavelle Scottie (F) and Ryan Swan
- Air Force lost its second straight game to Fresno State and ninth straight on the road in the series. The Falcons fell to 6-18 all-time in the series vs. Fresno State.
- Air Force hit 86.4 percent (19-22) from the free throw line which is its second-best effort of the season and best since hitting 92.7 percent (38-41) vs. Canisius.
Individual Notes
- Senior Trevor Lyons played in his 100th career game. He became the 41st player in Air Force history to play in 100 games.
- Freshman Keaton Van Soelen made his first-career start. He is the first freshman to start this season and first since teammates Lavelle Scottie (3) and Sid Tomes (4) last season.
- Sophomore Ryan Swan scored a team-best 13points.
- Sophomore Lavelle Scottie scored nine points and grabbed a team-best five rebounds.
THE LAST TIME AT AIR FORCE
(Jan. 11, 2017 at USAFA) Hayden Graham scored a 21 points, grabbed eight rebounds and had a season-high six assists to lead Air Force past Fresno State, 81-72, at the Academy.
The Falcon surrendered the game's first three points, but a three by Trevor Lyons tied it and a layup by Jacob Van gave the Falcons the lead for good. Air Force led for 37:32 of the game and held off every Fresno State rally in the second half.
Air Force led 37-33 at the half and used a 9-0 run early in the second half to take a 13 point lead, 54-41, with 12:02 remaining. Fresno State was never able to get closer than four points, 59-55, with 8:12 remaining. The Falcons hit 17 of 20 free throws from that point, including eight straight at one point. Air Force led by as many as 14 points in the second half.
Graham returned to the lineup after missing the Colorado State game due to illness. He added two blocks and hit eight of 13 field goals in 35 minutes. Lyons added a season-high 18 points, had four rebounds, four assists and two steals in 36 minutes. Van added 14 points and hit four straight free throws in the final minutes. Zach Kocur chipped in with 10 points and six rebounds while Ryan Manning added 10 points off the bench.
Air Force hit 51.9 percent from the field, including a 55.6 clip in the first half. The team has hit 50 percent or better five times this season, winning each game. The Falcons finished the game hitting 22 of 29 free throws (75.9 percent), had 16 assists and out-rebounded Fresno State, 39-23.
Fresno State hit 46.3 percent from the field, including just 34.6 percent from 3-point range. Paul Watson scored 20 points to lead the Bulldogs. Cullen Russo added 13 points and eight rebounds while Jahmel Taylor contributed 11 points.
AN AIR FORCE WIN WOULD.....
....be Air Force's first three-game conference winning streak since 2013 when the Falcons won at Wyoming (57-48), vs. Fresno State (62-50) and vs. No. 22 San Diego State (70-67).
....snap a two-game losing streak to Fresno State and be the first win against the Bulldogs since an 81-71 win at Air Force Jan. 11, 2017.
....would be Air Force's second straight win at home vs. Fresno State.
....would improve the Falcons to 6-4 at home this season.
....would improve Air Force to 7-18 all-time vs. Fresno State, including marks of 5-6 at home, 2-11 at Fresno and 0-1 in neutral site games.
....would mark the second straight year Air Force and Fresno State split the season series with each team winning at home.
....would match the team's longest win streak of the season overall and be the longest since the Falcons opened the season 3-0.
AIR FORCE'S LAST GAME
Seniors Trevor Lyons and Jacob Van each recorded season highs in scoring to lead Air Force past Colorado State, 76-71, Wednesday at Moby Arena in Fort Collins, Colo. The win snapped a 12-game losing streak to Colorado State.
Lyons scored 22 points on seven-of-nine shooting, including a career-best four-of-four from three, and added a season-best four steals while Van scored 15 points and matched his career high with three threes for the second straight game.
Colorado State used an 8-0 run to break a 46-all tie and take a 54-46 lead with 9:23 left. The Falcons chipped away at the lead and a pair of free throws from Ryan Swan tied the game at 62-62 with 3:30 to play. Lavelle Scottie hit a three to put the Falcons ahead for good, 68-67, with 1:44 remaining. Lyons added two free throws and a jumper and Van hit four straight free throws in the final 25 seconds to secure the win. The team's five-point victory margin was its largest lead of the game.
The Falcons posted their first back-to-back conference wins since 2016 and won back-to-back conference road games for the first time since 2011. The win in Fort Collins is the first since a 61-59 victory Feb. 23, 2008.
Air Force hit just 39.7 percent from the field, but hit 12 threes on a school-record 39 attempts. The Falcons hit 82.4 percent from the line, including 13 of 15 in the second half. The Falcons had 18 assists on 25 field goals and just eight turnovers. Scottie added 14 points and six rebounds while Swan finished with 12 points, six rebounds and three assists. He matched his career high with two blocked shots.
Colorado State was led by Prentiss Nixson, who had 18 points. Nico Carvacho added 12 points and 13 rebounds while Deion James added 11 points and 14 rebounds. J.D. Paige chipped in with 10 points. Colorado State hit just 37 percent from the field, including a 33.3 clip in the second half. The Rams out-rebounded Air Force, 49-37, and held a 34-22 edge in scoring in the paint.
Team Notes
- Air Force starters for the Colorado State game: Trevor Lyons (G), CJ Siples (G), Pervis Louder (G), Keaton Van Soelen (F), and Ryan Swan (C). The lineup started for the first time together this season and is eighth different lineup used in 18 games.
- Air Force posted back-to-back conference wins for the first time since 2016 when the team beat UNLV, 79-74, Feb. 16, and New Mexico, 76-72, Feb. 20.
- Air Force posted back-to-back Mountain West road wins for the first time since 2011 when the team won at TCU, 66-65 in overtime, Jan. 29, and at Utah, 54-49, Feb. 5.
- The Falcons posted back-to-back Mountain West road wins in consecutive games since 2006 when Air Force won at TCU, 63-45, Feb. 15, and at Utah, 52-51, Feb. 18.
- Air Force snapped a 12-game losing streak to Colorado State, winning for the first time since Feb. 26, 2011 at the Academy, 75-47. The Falcons snapped a nine-game losing streak in Fort Collins, winning for the first time since a 61-59 victory, Feb. 23, 2008. Air Force improved to 32-78 all-time in the Colorado State series. The Falcons are 11-42 in Fort Collins, 17-32 at home and 4-4 in neutral site games.
- Air Force tied a school record for 3-point attempts with 39. The Falcons also had 39 vs. UNLV Feb. 20, 2007.
Individual Notes
- Senior Trevor Lyons scored a season-high 22 points and matched his career high with four threes. Lyons record a season-high four steals to move into a tie for fifth place on the Air Force career steals list with 142. He moved past Vernard Jenkins (1999-03), who had 141 and is tied with Jeff Bowling (1986-87, 89-90) and Tim Keller (2001-05), who each had 142.
- Freshman Keaton Van Soelen recorded a career-best nine rebounds. His previous high was six at New Mexico Dec. 27.
- Sophomore Ryan Swan scored 12 points. He has scored in double figures in all six starts this season, including five straight in conference play.
- Sophomore Lavelle Scottie scored 14 points to record his fourth straight game in double figures.
- Senior Jacob Van scored a season-high 15 points and matched his career-high with three threes. Van has hit three threes in two straight games. He has scored in double figures in two straight and three of the last four games.
SHOOTING IMPROVED AT HOME
Despite a tough night from the field against UNLV, Air Force has had its best stretch of shooting at home the last three games. The Falcons have hit 52.2 percent (97-186) from the field, 36.8 (25-68) from three and 76.8 (43-56) from the line.
The team hit a season-best 61.4 percent from the field and 40.7 percent from three vs. Johnson & Wales Dec. 22. The Falcons hit a conference season-best 52.7 percent from the field and 38.1 percent from three vs. Nevada Jan. 6. The team hit just 41.0 percent from the field and 30.0 from three vs. UNLV, but hit 83.3 percent from the line.
Air Force had hit just 37.9 percent from the field and 27.3 percent of its 3-pointers in the first two conference games sandwiched between JWU and Nevada.
