Air Force Academy – It might have been a better pass than anyone threw last Sunday.
There were three seconds left and the score was tied Saturday when Air Force guard Tim Anderson pump-faked to get the guy in his face off his feet and draw the defense off the receiver. Then he lobbed a perfect 30-yard strike to forward Jacob Burtschi under the basket.
Wyoming’s Justin Williams, a 6-foot-10 senior and the nation’s second-best shot blocker, quickly jumped back to challenge Burtschi and fell all over him, drawing a foul.
Burtschi went to the line with the scoreboard clock showing 00.4 and made the winning free throw. He purposely missed the second one, ending the game and putting a stop to the Falcons’ two-game losing streak.
Air Force 62, Wyoming 61.
“We practice situations like that in every practice because you just never know,” Air Force coach Jeff Bzdelik said. “Fortunately the ball got through, and we had the opportunity to get fouled or make a layup. But then you have to make them.”
In Burtschi’s case, there probably was more pressure on him than most players.
“My dad being a coach (at Putnam City High School near Oklahoma City), I was just thinking my dad’s going to kill me if I miss this free throw,” Burtschi said.
Already in trouble with his AFA coach for drawing a technical earlier in the Mountain West Conference game and getting into foul trouble late, Burtschi didn’t need that.
“I try to coach a little, play a little and officiate a little,” said Burtschi, a 6-6 junior. “I’ve got to work on that.”
In a game that produced 11 ties and 14 lead changes, Bzdelik said he had to settle Burtschi down before sending him back in with a little more than five minutes left and the Cowboys (12-12, 5-6 MWC) ahead 52-48. He promptly drew a foul and made both free throws, then a couple minutes later hit a monster 3-pointer to put the Falcons (19-5, 7-4) back up 55-54.
“His emotion is what makes him a great player,” Bzdelik said. “He’s kind of a throwback.”
With Williams scoring on a power drive and teammate Steve Leven adding two more points at the free-throw line, the Falcons needed a 3-pointer by junior guard Matt McCraw with 1:02 left to go ahead 60-58 and set the stage for that last dramatic play.
They got it when 6-10 center John Frye made a layup, got a defensive rebound at the other end, then went back on offense and kicked the ball out for McCraw, who was 0-of-4 from beyond the arc before connecting.
“You have to know that next one’s going down,” McCraw said. “In this conference, you just have to keep bringing it.”
With Burtschi on the bench for 14 minutes, Frye stepped up – scoring 11 points, pulling down seven rebounds, blocking four shots and dishing out four assists.
“I think it was my best game,” said Frye, a junior. “I was getting into everything – rebounding, blocking shots, getting some layups.”
Wyoming’s Kevin Lewis had batted Anderson’s first pass right back to him, setting the stage for the pump fake.
“That was a perfect pass,” Wyoming’s Brandon Ewing said. “That guy should be a quarterback.”
WYOMING (12-12, 5-6 MWC)
Williams 4-10 4-7 12, Leven 2-9 6-6 11, Wabbington 4-7 0-0 8, Jones 2-7 1-2 5, Ewing 4-7 7-8 17, Okoye 0-0 0-0 0, Lewis 2-5 0-0 5, Ebert 1-1 0-0 3. Totals 19-46 18-23 61.
AIR FORCE (19-5, 7-4)
Burtschi 3-5 6-8 13, Nwaelele 4-5 4-4 15, Frye 5-8 0-0 11, McCraw 3-10 1-2 8, An. Hood 4-6 0-0 8, Henke 1-1 2-2 4, Anderson 0-2 0-0 0, Kenzik 0-0 0-0 0, Holum 1-4 0-0 3. Totals 21-41 13-16 62.
Halftime – 30-30. 3-point goals – Wyoming 5-14 (Ewing 2-3, Ebert 1-1, Lewis 1-3, Leven 1-7); Air Force 7-21 (Nwaelele 3-4, Frye 1-2, Burtschi 1-3, Holum 1-4, McCraw 1-5, Anderson 0-1, An. Hood 0-2). Fouled out – None. Rebounds – Wyoming 28 (Williams 11), Air Force 23 (Frye 7). Assists – Wyoming 9 (Leven 3), Air Force 12 (Frye 4). Total fouls – Wyoming 18, Air Force 16. A – 5,834.
Joseph Sanchez can be reached at 303-820-5458 or jsanchez@denverpost.com.
