Falcons falter at finish at New Mexico; open tourney with UNLV

ALBUQUERQUE • Air Force had a shot. The Falcons nearly invaded The Pit, one of the more challenging destinations in college sports, and escaped with an upset.

But with 12 seconds left, senior forward Derek Brooks missed a 3-pointer that would have tied the score. The miss allowed New Mexico to escape with a 66-61 victory.

The loss drops Air Force to 15-14 and 6-10 in the Mountain West Conference. New Mexico improves to 20-11 and 8-8. The Falcons play UNLV on Thursday in the quarterfinals of the MWC Tournament.

Brooks said he was distracted on his shot by teammate Tom Fow, who had been knocked off balance.

“I kind of tried to get out of his way,” Brooks said.

Fow said he had been pushed into Brooks by New Mexico forward A.J. Hardeman.

“I got shoved,” Fow said. “I got pushed right into Derek.”

Hardeman’s efforts appeared to ignite the ire of Air Force coach Jeff Reynolds, who spent the rest of the game shouting at referees. Reynolds also talked loudly to New Mexico coach Steve Alford after the game. Alford said his conversation with Reynolds was a friendly one.

Air Force’s coach might have been talking to referees about the difference in free throws. New Mexico shot 29, making 22. Air Force shot seven, making four.

The ending marred the Falcons’ fast start. Air Force roared to a quick 15-10 lead while sinking seven of their first 10 shots. Their accuracy turned The Pit into a quiet place.

“It was nice,” Fow said of the peaceful atmosphere. “To keep this place quiet is kind of rare.”

For a few minutes, the shots kept dropping. Brooks drained a 3 from the corner with 3:35 left in the half to give the Falcons a 31-24 lead. At that point, Brooks had made three 3-pointers in a little more than 3 minutes, and the Falcons had made 5-of-9 from outside the arc.

But then Air Force’s long-range touch wavered. The Falcons missed 10 of their next 11 3-pointers and watched a seven-point lead turn to a nine-point deficit with 8:54 left in the game.

Brooks, who led the Falcons with 17 points, admitted Air Force relied too heavily on 3-pointers. “We should have tried to get to the basket more,” he said.

The Falcons’ shooting touch suddenly returned in the final 3 minutes. It was a sudden turnaround after Air Force’s offense had virtually vanished. The Falcons had scored five points in 51/2 minutes.

Fow, who scored 14, started the revival with a 3-pointer that cut New Mexico’s lead to 57-53. The shot started a barrage that featured 11 points in 21/2 minutes.

The spurt ended when Lyons hit a 25-foot 3-pointer with 34 seconds left to leave the Falcons trailing 63-61.

After a free throw by New Mexico’s Dairese Gary, Reynolds called a play that left Brooks open right in front of the Air Force bench.

Brooks missed long, and Lyons seized the rebound. He had a wide-open shot.

“I just missed it,” Lyons said.

NOTES

Lyons watches most of first half

Michael Lyons, Air Force’s leading scorer, did not score a basket until 5:58 left in the game. He played only 4 minutes in the first half after picking up two quick fouls.

“We didn’t want him to pick up a third one,” Reynolds said.

Air Force to play Vegas at Vegas

Air Force, the No. 6 seed, has the misfortune to play No. 3 seed UNLV on UNLV’s homecourt Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West Tournament.

“It’s a tough challenge,” Reynolds said. “Playing them on their homecourt is tough, but that’s the card we’ve been dealt.”

Alford compliments Reynolds

New Mexico coach Steve Alford has been impressed by Air Force’s progress. The Falcons won six conference games in 2010-2011. This comes after winning one game in the previous two seasons.

“Jeff has done a tremendous job,” Alford said. “I can’t say enough good things about what he’s done.”

Alford said Air Force’s sophomore class means the team will be “a handful” in future seasons.

Look at statistics

New Mexico outrebounded Air Force 35-25. ... Senior forward Evan Washington did not score in the first half. He finished with four points. ... Gary led New Mexico with 17 points, despite sinking only two shots from the field. Gary was 11-of-13 from the free-throw line.