AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo.—Michael Lyons scored 17 of his 23 points in the second half as Air Force cruised to a 63-51 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Saturday night.
Lyons was 7-for-10 shooting from the field with two 3-pointers after halftime for Air Force (5-2). Mike Fitzgerald added a career-high 19 points with six 3-pointers for the Falcons.
Savalace Townsend scored 16 points on 10-of-11 free-throw shooting to lead Arkansas-Pine Bluff (1-5). Lazabian Jackson had 13 for the Golden Lions, who have lost three straight.
The Falcons started off slowly but picked up steam at the end of the first half to lead 29-20 at the break.
At one point, the Falcons had more turnovers (eight) than field goals (seven) but still managed to be ahead 18-17.
The Falcons didn’t have a turnover the rest of the half. Chris Carter had a layup, Fitzgerald sank three 3-pointers and Air Force outscored Arkansas-Pine Bluff 11-2 during the final five minutes.
A free throw by Taylor Broekhuis gave Air Force its biggest lead at 46-27.
Demetrius Smith got the Golden Lions as close as 61-51, hitting two free throws with 47 seconds left, but Arkansas-Pine Bluff couldn’t close the gap.
