AIR FORCE ACADEMY — Timely 3-point shooting was the key to Air Force securing a second Mountain West Conference victory for the first time in three seasons, and 6-foot-2 sophomore guard Todd Fletcher may have had the best timing of all.
After Wyoming opened the second half Saturday with a 6-0 run that cut Air Force’s lead to 38-31, Fletcher followed a free throw by teammate Tom Fow with a 3-pointer that put the Cowboys in a 42-31 hole with 16:35 left.
That eased the tension, and the Falcons (11-7, 2-3 MWC) rolled to a 72-51 victory that pushed the Cowboys (8-11, 1-4) into the conference cellar.
It was Air Force’s ninth victory of the season at Clune Arena, the Falcons’ most since their 12 home-court wins in 2007-08. The 21-point margin of victory was the biggest for the Falcons in MWC play in three seasons.
“At the start of the second half, things weren’t going our way,” said Fletcher, who finished with 13 points. “We weren’t together as a team in the first five minutes of the second half.
“I’m not really a first-shot player, but we made an extra pass to me and I hit it.”
The Falcons shot 56.5 percent from the floor overall, including 11-of-19 accuracy on 3-point attempts. Coach Jeff Reynolds acknowledged his team’s offensive work came against a Wyoming zone defense that had the Falcons worried going into the game.
“We had some good in-and-out action today,” Reynolds said, referring to his team’s 16 points in the paint to go with the long-range shooting.
“We’re fortunate that Todd stepped up and made a 3-point shot when he did,” Reynolds said. “When they’ve made a nice run and you can bang a 3, it’s a little demoralizing.”
“They hit some contested shots,” Wyoming coach Heath Schroyer said of the Falcons. “When they make 3s in this building, they’re tough to play.”
Sophomore guard Michael Lyons led Air Force with 17 points. Fletcher also had a career-high five steals.
WYOMING (8-11, 1-4 MWC)
M’Baye 6-13 1-1 13, Thiam 3-4 0-0 6, Luster 2-5 1-3 6, Jackson 4-12 0-0 9, Cruz 4-8 0-0 10, Gibson 1-5 0-0 2, Bouedo 1-2 0-0 2, Waddell 1-3 0-0 2, Hudson 0-4 1-2 1, Harrison 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 22-58 3-6 51.
AIR FORCE (11-7, 2-3)
Fow 5-8 1-2 14, Broekhuis 1-3 0-0 2, Fletcher 4-7 2-2 13, Lyons 6-10 3-3 17, Washington 4-7 3-4 11, Fitzgerald 2-3 0-0 5, Bohannon 3-4 0-0 7, Stewart 0-0 0-0 0, Brooks 1-3 0-0 3, Green 0-0 0-0 0, Brakeville 0-0 0-0 0, Hempsey 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 26-46 9-11 72.
Halftime — AFA 38-25. 3-point goals — Wyo. 4-23 (Cruz 2-6, Luster 1-3, Jackson 1-6, Bouedo 0-1, M’Baye 0-1, Harrison 0-2, Hudson 0-4). AFA 11-19 (Fow 3-4, Fletcher 3-6, Lyons 2-3, Fitzgerald 1-1, Brooks 1-2, Bohannon 1-2, Washington 0-1). Fouled out — None. Rebounds — Wyo. 33 (M’Baye 7), AFA 26 (Washington 6). Assists — Wyo. 11 (Jackson 5), AFA 22 (Washington 9). Total fouls — Wyo. 11, AFA 13. A — 3,904.
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com
