Falcons can't shoot straight against Northern Arizona

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Shot after shot Air Force hoisted banged off the rim. Guard after guard Northern Arizona sent to the basket received little resistance, with a lot of success.

The end result was ugly for the Falcons, no matter what silver lining optimistic coach Jeff Reynolds tries to find. If he’s making a Christmas fire, he should toss in this game tape.

Air Force never discovered any kind of rhythm in shooting 42.3 percent, and the Falcons were battered for 34 points in the paint in witnessing their early season momentum vanish Wednesday in a 74-63 loss to Northern Arizona at the Rolle Activity Center.

Getting quality looks wasn’t a problem for Air Force, which frustrated Northern Arizona (8-4) with its athleticism, however, the Falcons (7-3) shot 39.3 percent in a first half that produced a 37-26 deficit at intermission and 45.8 percent after the break, when they fell behind by as many as 15 points. Air Force never got closer than nine in the second half.

Ten of Northern Arizona’s interior points came during a 17-4 burst in a six-minute stretch in the first half, as a 16-14 lead by Air Force turned into a 31-20 setback. Durrell Norman highlighted the run with a four-point play, then Northern Arizona rattled off eight straight points in the lane, including a layup by Stallon Saldivar that sparked a Reynolds timeout.

“We couldn’t get stops,” said Reynolds, whose team had won six of its past seven games. “We had opportunity after opportunity to stay in the game. They came up with big shots or if they missed, they got a second shot. … They were able to get the ball inside to their post players, and they were able to execute their stuff a little better than we were.”

The poor shooting was uncharacteristic of Air Force, considering the Falcons entered the night hitting at 48.9 percent, the 18th-best mark in the nation. They shot better than their first nine opponents – Northern Arizona shot 54.5 percent to become the second team to break 40 percent against Air Force, and the Lumberjacks had a 34-26 edge on the boards.

“You can’t give them opportunities,” said Derek Brooks, one of three Air Force players in double figures, with a season-high 15 points, helped by 14 from Michael Lyons and 13 from Evan Washington. “They’re playing at home, and when you have the home crowd behind you, anything goes. When we have a lead, we have to really try to keep it.”