Air Force basketball notes: Shots start falling

Shots finally fall

Air Force entered Wednesday night's game against New Mexico last in the Mountain West Conference in shooting percentage and wondering what would happen if - for once - some shots fell.

The Falcons got their answer in the first half. After missing their first six shots and falling behind by 15, they made 13 of their next 14 to take a 37-33 halftime lead.

"We had more energy because of it," Air Force coach Jeff Reynolds said of his team's 65-percent shooting in the first half.

Air Force, which made 43-of-124 shots, including just 13-of-57 from 3-point range in its previous three games, made 22-of-42 field goals against the Lobos - its best shooting performance in conference play. The Falcons' 66 points were their most in an MWC game.

Looser is better

Against San Diego State, Air Force seemed to tense up when it fell behind early. But after falling behind 15-0 on Wednesday, the Falcons appeared to play looser.

"We kind of just stopped worrying about what was going on and just did what we know how to do, and that's play basketball," senior guard/forward Andrew Henke said.

Reynolds said when the Falcons battled back from the early deficit, it "looked like they were having fun out there."

Too many turnovers

Air Force turned the ball over 16 times. It has made 49 in its last three games.