GREELEY — Air Force senior guard Andrew Henke was a prime example of how to make every shot count Saturday night.
His teammates followed his lead and the Falcons (6-2) went on to a 71-64 victory over Northern Colorado (2-4) at Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion.
“I thought Henke had the best shooting night of his career,” Reynolds said. “UNC did a good job in taking away our backdoor cuts. We talked about what it takes to win on the road. Our players didn’t panic. Even in the huddle they talked about playing through it.”
Henke hit 6-of-9 shots from the floor, including 5-of-7 from 3-point range for a team-high 23 points. The Falcons sizzled with a 63.9 percent shooting performance that left the Bears in the dust over the last six minutes of the game. It was Air Force’s best shooting night on the road since shooting 66.7 percent Dec. 3, 2005, at Texas Pan Am.
“We did a great job of coming back down and scoring after they scored,” Henke said. “That took some of the energy out of the building. You had to have the mentality to come in here and win regardless of the circumstances.”
“If our statistics are right, we got two stops in the last eight minutes,” UNC coach Tad Boyle said. “It’s a credit to their offense. We weren’t disciplined enough to guard them for 30 seconds, which is what you have to do.”
The Bears took 20 more shots from the floor, 56-36, but found the net only twice more, and Air Force made more free throws (17) than UNC attempted (15).
While Reynolds credited Henke with his best shooting game, it may have been his best game. He dished out two of his three assists at critical times, setting center Grant Parker and guard Anwar Johnson with layups when the game was on the line. Johnson’s shot came with 3:04 left in the game, pulling the Falcons ahead 60-57.
Parker was at the receiving end of Henke’s pass with 1:22 left as Air Force pulled ahead 63-59. Parker added a key defensive rebound at the other end just before his basket.
After inconsistent play earlier, the Falcons scored points on their last 13 possessions.
Up to the late run, the Bears were competitive and held the lead through most of the first 25 minutes. Forward Jabril Banks hit all seven of his shots from the floor and finished with a team-high 16 points.
Air Force had not played at UNC since 1978, the Falcons winning 77-63, and the Bears have not beaten Air Force since 1957.
AIR FORCE (6-2)
Holland 2-6 0-0 4, Johnson 8-10 4-7 20, McLain 1-1 0-0 3, Henke 6-9 6-7 23, Washington 2-5 4-8 9, Noonan 0-0 0-0 0, Stewart 1-1 1-2 3, Merriex 0-0 1-2 1, Schafer 0-0 0-0 0, Parker 3-4 1-2 8. Totals 23-36 17-28 71.
NORTHERN COLORADO (2-4)
Banks 7-7 2-3 16, Mason 2-8 2-4 6, Montgomery 2-5 0-0 4, Bonner 2-4 1-3 7, Pena 6-14 0-1 13, Figures 0-2 0-0 0, Kaba 0-2 0-0 0, Beitzel 4-7 2-2 12, Kingman 1-6 1-2 4, Proctor 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 25-56 8-15 64.
Halftime — N. Colorado 30-25. 3-point goals — Air Force 8-15 (Henke 5-7, Parker 1-1, McLain 1-1, Washington 1-2, Holland 0-4), N. Colorado 6-20 (Bonner 2-4, Beitzel 2-5, Kingman 1-2, Pena 1-6, Kaba 0-1, Montgomery 0-1, Mason 0-1). Fouled out — Peña. Rebounds — Air Force 25 (Parker 5), N. Colorado 30 (Mason 6). Assists — Air Force 14 (Johnson, Washington 4), N. Colorado 12 (Peña 3). Total fouls — Air Force 17, N. Colorado 24. A — 1,740.
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com
