Henke's clutch plays save AFA

Air Force got everything it could handle from Division II Western State on Friday night in its season opener.

But senior guard/forward Andrew Henke made several big plays down the stretch, and the Falcons got some key baskets from new faces to pull away for a 70-64 victory in front of an announced crowd of 3,213 at Clune Arena.

Henke scored nine of his team-high 18 points down the stretch, including a 3-pointer with 3:22 to play that gave Air Force a 61-58 lead - one it would not relinquish. Henke, who shot 6 of 9 from the field, including 4 of 5 from 3-point range, said he tried to be a little more aggressive later in the game.

"I knew we were kind of struggling offensively, and we couldn't pull away enough to just take the lead and take control of the game," Henke said.

Western State stayed close by grabbing 16 offensive rebounds (leading to 15 points) and making 15 of 35 3-point attempts. Several of the 3s came from well beyond NBA 3-point range, and Cameron Burney's off-balance, leaning 3 from near the top of the key with 5:56 to play gave the Mountaineers a 56-54 lead.

Air Force answered as freshman forward Taylor Stewart drove for a basket. And after Western State went back up, 58-56, Henke scored on a drive and followed it up with his clutch 3-pointer.

Henke also assisted on a bucket by Matt Holland with 1:48 to play, and junior guard Avery Merriex scored on a drive with a minute to go to help the Falcons keep Western State at bay.

Stewart, in his collegiate debut, played 30 minutes and scored 10 points. Merriex, who saw only garbage time in his first two seasons, played 13 minutes, scored a career-high nine points and grabbed three boards.

"Those guys gave us a huge boost off the bench," Henke said. "Those two are the reason we won the game tonight."

Senior Anwar Johnson, in his first game as the Falcons' primary ball handler, scored 13 points with three rebounds, two assists and three turnovers before fouling out. Holland scored nine points on 4-for-4 shooting. And sophomore guard Evan Washington had six points, a career-high eight rebounds, four assists, three turnovers and two blocks.

The Falcons struggled early and fell behind, 15-5. But after missing eight of their first 10 shots, they made 7 of 11 - including five 3-pointers - to fuel a 20-0 run.

Up 25-15, Air Force had a chance to add to its lead. But the Falcons missed some open looks while Western State made four 3-pointers to pull within two at the half.

"You've got to tip your hat, they've got a good team," Air Force coach Jeff Reynolds said of the Mountaineers. "If they shoot it like that, they're going to win a lot of games."

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Contact the Writer: 636-0365 or jake.schaller@gazette.com. Check out our Air Force blog at gazetteafasports.freedomblogging.com