Falcons fall to 0-11 in Mountain West Conference

SALT LAKE CITY • No matter how well Air Force has performed recently in stretches, the Falcons still seem incapable of playing a game without settling into at least one extended funk.

On Saturday against Utah in front of an announced crowd of 9,208 at the Huntsman Center, it came just after halftime. And it quickly turned a potential major upset into a 74-59 loss.

Against New Mexico on Wednesday, it came immediately after the tip, when the Lobos scored 15 straight points. Against BYU on Feb. 3, it came at the end of the game, when a two-point lead devolved into a 21-point loss.

"We had them right where we wanted them, just like we had BYU and Wyoming and New Mexico," senior guard/forward Andrew Henke (17 points) said after Saturday's loss. "We've got to keep trying to focus for 40 minutes and not have those let-ups."

Air Force led 30-27 after a basket by senior Anwar Johnson (team-high 18 points) on the first possession of the second half. But over the next 6-plus minutes, Utah went on an 18-1 run to take a 45-31 lead and complete command. Air Force had five turnovers and no baskets in 10 possessions during that stretch.

The loss was the Falcons'12th straight and 13th in their past 14 games. Air Force, which fell to 9-15 and 0-11 in the Mountain West Conference, has lost its past five games by a combined 98 points. That's the second-worst five-game stretch in academy history behind only a run from Feb. 18 to March 4 in 1993 when the team lost five straight by a combined 103.

Those heinous numbers obscure what Utah coach Jim Boylen called "big-time improvement" in Air Force since the teams' first meeting Jan. 14 - a 21-point Utes victory.

"They're going to beat someone down the stretch," said Boylen, whose team improved to 18-7 and remained in sole possession of first in the MWC at 9-2. "And I am so thankful that we don't have to go back (to Clune Arena) this year."

Air Force controlled the tempo in the first half, making an effort to take possessions deep into the shot clock. Henke and junior guard/forward Grant Parker (career-high 16 points) combined to shoot 8-of-10 from the field in the half to stake the team to a 28-27 advantage.

But after halftime, Utah made 17-of-24 shots from the floor (70.8 percent), including 9-of-13 from 3-point range. Senior guard Lawrence Borha had 20 of his game-high 22 points in the second half on 7-of-8 shooting, including 5-of-6 from 3-point range.

"They don't shoot 70 percent in the second half," Air Force coach Jeff Reynolds said. "Who knows?"