LAS VEGAS — Air Force waited 19 years and three days for a conference tournament win since last upending Colorado State in 1990.
Then the Falcons waited nearly 30 more minutes to close the deal.
Air Force, which hadn’t won a Mountain West game all season, sent CSU packing 71-67 Wednesday in the play-in game of the MWC Tournament.
AFA, 10-20, draws top seed BYU, 24-6, in Thursday’s 1 p.m. (MDT) quarterfinals opener at the Thomas and Mack Center. Air Force nearly upset the Cougars in Provo, Utah last Saturday before falling 54-49. CSU closes 9-22.
Unlike well rested BYU, the Falcons have been traveling almost nonstop for more than a week, playing at UNLV and BYU with one day back in Colorado Springs before returning to Las Vegas Monday night.
The Falcons first lead of the game didn’t come until 11:04 remaining when Evan Washington launched a trey for a 46-45 edge. The Rams had been in command until junior forward Grant Parker opened up a 10-0 run for AFA.
CSU called a timeout but Arin Dunn, who led the Rams with eight first half points, missed a shot and Parker extended AFA’s lead to 48-45.
Travis Franklin had a chance to restore a CSU lead when he went to the line with 6:48 left but missed both shots. Until then, CSU was 14-of-18 at the foul line. From there it was a one-to-three point AFA lead until Andrew Henke’s 3-pointer lifted the Falcons in front 55-51 with 4:35 left.
Henke tapped away the ball on the ensuing Rams possession, but was called with his fourth foul while driving for a lay-up that might have sealed the win.
Instead Marcus Walker, hit both shots to slice the gap in half.
Despite trailing early by nine points, the Falcons put themselves in position to take the lead going into halftime. Trailing 31-30, Trevor Noonan missed from the right corner with seven ticks left. Willis Gardner’s buzzer shot gave the Rams a little more breathing room.
Although the Falcons hit nearly 62 percent from the floor in the first half, led by Anwar Johnson’s 4-for-5 spree, CSU went to the line 16 times, converting 12, compared to just 2-of-4 for AFA.
Natalie Meisler: (303) 954-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com
