AFA men's basketball: Falcons lose 8th straight

Air Force's uniforms were different. The result was the same.

Wearing their alternate gray jerseys and shorts, the Falcons lost their eighth straight game, falling to UNLV 59-38 in front of an announced crowd of 4,020 at Clune Arena.

Coach Jeff Reynolds was unhappy with his team's effort and energy. The Falcons had defensive breakdowns that led to some of the 12 3-pointers UNLV made. And Air Force committed 16 turnovers.

But as has been the case throughout a dismal month, the team's biggest problem was scoring. The Falcons made 13-of-37 from the floor, including 5-of-20 3-point tries, and 7-of-12 from the free-throw line. At one point midway through the second half, after watching another 3-point attempt bounce high off the rim, senior guard/forward Andrew Henke looked up at the roof and screamed in frustration.

In seven league games, Air Force is shooting 37.6 percent from the floor, including 29.5 percent from 3-point range.

"They're not shooting the ball well right now," UNLV coach Lon Kruger said. "I'm not saying they can't - their club is executing well, they're cutting well, they're doing the little things well - they're just not making shots."

The loss was Air Force's ninth in 10 games and fifth straight on the home floor where it was virtually unbeatable two seasons ago. The Falcons fell to 9-11 and 0-7 in Mountain West Conference play. UNLV, which snapped a six-game losing streak at Clune, improved to 17-4 and 5-2.

The Falcons scored only five points in the first 8 minutes. They seemed poised to break out of their scoring slump, however, when senior forward Matt Holland hit 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions to give Air Force a 13-12 lead with 7:30 left in the first half.

But UNLV responded with an 8-0 run to regain control and went to halftime up 29-19. Less than 5 minutes into the second half, the Rebels led by 17.

Four freshmen played a combined 71 minutes off the bench for Air Force, led by Brandon Provost, who logged a career-high 23. But Provost wasn't interested in looking toward the future.

"We just want to get a win, man," he said. "We're desperate for a win right now."

NOTES

Freshman invasion
Brandon Provost entered Saturday's game having played 19 minutes in eight appearances.

The freshman guard played 23 against UNLV. Air Force coach Jeff Reynolds said the decision to use Provost that much was based on two factors - his recent play in practice and his performance in the game.

Provost was 0-for-2 shooting and grabbed two rebounds, but Reynolds said he defended well.

Freshmen Taylor Stewart, Sammy Schafer and Shawn Hempsey played 21, 18 and 9 minutes, respectively, and combined for 10 points and five rebounds.

Johnson's status uncertain
Senior guard Anwar Johnson, who had six points and four assists in 32 minutes, hasn't practiced since before a Jan. 14 game, when he aggravated a right foot injury. Reynolds said Johnson remains day-to-day.

Etc.
Six of Air Force's seven conference losses have been by double digits. Saturday's 21-point loss was its third of at least that margin. ... Sophomore guard Evan Washington played a career-low 20 minutes. ... Junior center Mike McLain has played a combined 5 minutes in the past four games after starting the first 16.