AIR FORCE ACADEMY — Wow.
Colorado and Air Force should meet more often.
CU got a 3-pointer from freshman guard Askia Booker with two minutes left in overtime and a layup from sophomore guard Andre Roberson with 11 seconds remaining, key contributions to the Buffaloes’ 76-73 victory over the Falcons before 3,834 fans at Clune Arena on Wednesday night. A 3-point try by Air Force junior guard Todd Fletcher rimmed out at the buzzer.
“We had mental breakdowns defensively. We didn’t contest a couple of their 3s, and when we did late in the game they got the offensive rebound and put it back in,” said coach Jeff Reynolds, whose Falcons fell to 3-1. “We just couldn’t put them away.”
With 1:08 left in regulation, senior guard Nate Tomlinson hit a 3-pointer to give the Buffs a 65-62 lead. Tomlinson finished with a team-high 19 points. In the final 48 seconds of regulation, the Falcons made 5-of-6 free throws, including two by Mike Fitzgerald with three seconds left to tie the score at 67-67.
Air Force junior guard Michael Lyons hit 10-of-19 shots from the field, including 5-of-8 attempts on 3-pointers, and finished with a career-high 31 points. He averaged 13.7 points last season, including 26 against Utah.
The Falcons simply couldn’t hold off the Buffs (3-2). CU stayed within reach mainly because of a 47-28 advantage in rebounding. However, the Falcons benefited from 27 points that came from 18 turnovers by CU.
“Thank goodness we rebounded well,” said Buffs coach Tad Boyle. “I’m glad we won, but there was nothing encouraging. We were outplayed most of the game. We snuck out of here with a win.”
Tomlinson’s shot from inside the 3-point line just beat the halftime buzzer. That gave the Buffs their only lead of the first half at 37-36.
The Lyons-led Falcons were able to keep an advantage through most of the first 20 minutes.
With Lyons hitting two free throws and Taylor Stewart sinking three, the Falcons opened a nine-point lead at 27-18 with 7:02 left in the first half. But after a cold spell from the floor and CU’s 12-3 run, the score was tied 30-30 heading into the final three minutes.
Tomlinson’s five points down the stretch overtook the Falcons and capped an uphill battle in the first half.
After both teams struggled to get going in the second half, Lyons broke the spell with six points — including a reverse layup that gave the Falcons their largest lead of the second half at 46-39.
While Lyons was catching fire, the Buffs were only 1-of-9 from the field to open the second half.
COLORADO (3-2)
Dufault 5-9 4-6 15, Tomlinson 7-11 1-1 19, Roberson 5-9 1-1 11, Dinwiddie 1-4 0-0 2, Brown 7-16 0-0 16, Booker 3-7 2-4 11, Sharpe 0-0 0-0 0, Harris-Tunks 1-3 0-0 2, Chen 0-1 0-2 0. Totals 29-60 8-14 76.
AIR FORCE (3-1)
Fitzgerald 3-6 2-3 10, Stewart 4-12 1-2 9, Broekhuis 2-10 2-4 6, Fletcher 4-13 5-6 13, Lyons 10-19 8-9 31, Williams 2-2 0-1 4, Carter 0-0 0-0 0, Earls 0-0 0-0 0, Green 0-0 0-0 0, Brakeville 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-62 18-25 73.
Halftime — Colorado 37-36. 3-point goals —Colorado 10-24 (Tomlinson 4-7, Booker 3-4, Brown 2-10, Dufault 1-2, Dinwiddie 0-1), Air Force 5-19 (Lyons 5-8, Fitzgerald 2-5, Stewart 0-1, Broekhuis 0-1, Fletcher 0-4). Fouled out —None. Rebounds — Colorado 47 (Roberson 13), Air Force 28 (Broekhuis 8). Assists — Colorado 15 (Brown 6), Air Force 14 (Fletcher 6). Total fouls —Colorado 22, Air Force 14.
A — 3,834.
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com
