AIR FORCE ACADEMY — Taking a deep breath just when it seemed they were winded, the Air Force Falcons served notice Saturday at Clune Arena they are not about to let their men’s basketball season slip away.
After trailing the Wyoming Cowboys 29-23 with 3:23 left in the first half, Air Force turned to its bench to trigger a 9-2 run that produced a 32-31 halftime lead en route to a 72-66 victory in the Mountain West Conference game between Front Range rivals.
Air Force (13-11, 5-6 MWC) snapped a three-game losing streak by shooting 52.2 percent from the field and pressuring Wyoming (10-14, 3-8) into committing 17 turnovers.
“I think our players’ determination was part of it,” said first-year Air Force coach Jeff Reynolds. “We had to scramble the game tonight. If we allowed them to run their offense and throw it inside, they were going to do that. We had to force them to make an errant pass.”
Air Force had several significant contributions, none more important than the lift provided by senior center Eric Kenzik, freshman forward Derek Brooks, junior swingman Andrew Henke and junior guard Anwar Johnson.
Henke hit a 3-pointer with 3:10 left. Kenzik and Brooks followed with layups. Johnson’s layup with 39 seconds left gave the Falcons their one-point advantage at halftime.
Air Force rode the surge into the second half and threatened to rout the Cowboys. But faulty free-throw shooting down the stretch by the Falcons allowed the Cowboys to pull within seven points at 67-60 with 43 seconds left.
Henke led Air Force with a game-high 19 points. The Falcons won with their best 3-point shooting (50 percent) of the season in conference play, finishing 8-of-16 behind the arc. Junior forward Matt Holland was 3-for-4 from long range.
“We just stopped executing on defense,” said Wyoming coach Heath Schroyer, whose team was led by Brandon Ewing’s 18 points and Tyson Johnson’s 12. “We executed in the first 12 minutes and Air Force had 12 points.”
Henke led the Falcons in scoring but also played havoc with Wyoming’s offense. Henke played strong defense against Mikhail Linskens and Travis Nelson, who combined for just seven points.
A loss to the Cowboys would have lowered Air Force to a .500 record this late in a season for the first time in five years. It was a 64-57 loss to the Cowboys on Feb. 17, 2003, that dropped those Falcons to 11-11.
“We have this season in our hands and we want to take care of it ourselves,” said AFA senior guard Tim Anderson, who had seven points, three assists and two steals. “We had energy and focus and determination to pull out a win.”
WYOMING (10-14, 3-8 MWC)
Dermody 0-2 0-0 0, Johnson 3-5 6-7 12, Linskens 0-5 1-2 1, Jones 3-5 4-5 11, Ewing 5-14 4-5 18, Taylor 3-4 0-0 7, Platt 4-6 0-0 11, Nelson 3-4 0-0 6, Bunker 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-45 15-19 66.
AIR FORCE (13-11, 5-6)
Holland 3-4 0-0 9, Johnson 2-5 7-9 11, Maren 3-5 1-2 8, Anderson 3-11 0-0 7, Washington 5-8 2-7 12, Henke 5-9 6-10 19, Hood 0-0 0-0 0, Brooks 1-1 0-0 2, Kenzik 2-3 0-0 4. Totals 24-46 16-28 72.
Halftime — Air Force 32-31. 3-point goals — Wyoming 9-20 (Ewing 4-11, Platt 3-4, Taylor 1-1, Jones 1-2, Linskens 0-1, Dermody 0-1); Air Force 8-16 (Holland 3-4, Henke 3-5, Maren 1-2, Anderson 1-3, Washington 0-1, Kenzik 0-1). Fouled out — Dermody, Taylor. Rebounds — Wyoming 33 (Taylor 11), Air Force 22 (Henke 5). Assists — Wyoming 13 (Taylor 5), Air Force 16 (Henke 4). Total fouls — Wyoming 20, Air Force 16.
A — 4,638.
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com
