RAMSEY: Falcons can excel in MWC if they learn from UNLV defeat

Air Force placed a scare in UNLV and for now coming close means something. That’s one of the blessings of being so bad for so long.

UNLV awoke in the final five minutes to drop the Falcons, 64-52, but the score fails to tell the story of this game.

The Falcons led or were tied for 29 of the 40 minutes and led by seven in the early minutes of the second half.

The Falcons – and I’m being serious here – could have won this game. Instead, Air Force tumbled to its 33rd loss in 35 Mountain West Conference games.

A few minutes after the game, Air Force sophomore star Michael Lyons emerged from the locker room with red eyes. He talked in a halting voice. It looked as if he might start crying.

“We just gave it to them,” Lyons said.

Good news can be found in the wreckage of this loss. Next time, the Falcons might not have to settle for close.

For the past two seasons, the Falcons have walked into MWC games with virtually no chance at victory. They were clearly the worst team in the league, and it wasn’t close.

The Falcons have improved and now soar close to TCU, Wyoming, Colorado State and Utah. They could collect five or six conferences wins.

They could, that is, if they learn from the mistakes of this near-miss against Vegas.

Lesson No. 1: Lyons must take better shots.

Lyons is right up there with the most gifted Air Force players of the 21st century. I’d place him beside Tim Keller and Dan Nwaelele in terms of sheer talent.

He carried the Falcons to a victory over Utah Jan. 5, but he ranked as the prime villain in the loss to UNLV. His teammates shot 14-of-28 from the field while Lyons shot 3-of-12.

Coach Jeff Reynolds encourages Lyons to take on-balance shots. He tells Lyons to set his feet, jump straight up and avoid leaning.

Reynolds asks Lyons to picture himself taking a jump shot in a phone booth, and this is a vivid image … if you’re over 35 years old. Lyons hasn’t seen many phone booths.

“Stay in the telephone booth,” Reynolds says.

Lyons declined to stay in the booth Saturday against Vegas. He was leaning every which way while taking off-balance shots. Many were Kobe Bryant-style shots, which explains why Lyons kept missing. Only Kobe makes those shots.

Air Force won’t beat anyone – even Wyoming – with Lyons shooting 25 percent from the field.  

He can do better. He must do better. He’s quick enough and strong enough and jumps high enough to find easier shots. Instead of leaning away from defenders, he must challenge them.

Lesson No. 2: Relax in the clutch.

In the final five minutes, the immensity of the moment trapped the Falcons. They grew tense and helpless.

Senior forward Tom Fow, a 90-percent free-throw shooter, missed the front end of a one-and-one seconds after seizing a tough, clutch rebound. Sophomore center Taylor Broekhuis missed 3-pointer after Reynolds expertly designed a play that left him wide open.

This late futility is easy to explain. In the past two seasons, the Falcons have rarely been within sight in the second half. They’re still learning to function, much less excel, when it really matters.

But, Fow said, that’s no excuse.

“It shouldn’t matter whether we’ve been in that situation,” he said.

I admire Fow’s refusal to make excuses, but don’t agree with him. The Falcons still must learn how to win in the MWC.

But they came close Saturday, and that’s the right place to start.