Air Force notes: Stewart might be done for season

Just as the Falcons got one starter back from injury, another will be out for perhaps the rest of the season.

Guard Michael Lyons returned to the lineup after missing six games with a high ankle sprain. Unfortunately for the Falcons, forward Taylor Stewart – the team’s only senior starter – is out indefinitely with a broken left fibula, the bone above the ankle. He suffered the injury in practice Monday. Stewart will have what coach Reynolds called a stress X-ray next Monday to determine if he’ll require surgery.

If he needs surgery, Stewart will be done for the season. If the ligaments aren’t torn and the bone can heal itself, he could be back in five-to-seven weeks, Reynolds said.

“It hurts us, but just like when Mike went down, we’ll have other people step up,” guard Todd Fletcher said.

Lyons felt good

Although Lyons played 27 minutes, and had an impressive second-half dunk, Reynolds said Lyons was only about 70 percent healed from a high ankle sprain. Lyons scored nine points on four-of-eight shooting, well below his pre-injury average of 18.4 points per game.

“I thought it took him a while to get going and I didn’t think he was in game rhythm all evening,” Reynolds said.

Free-throw problems

Air Force hit a reasonable 68.4 percent of its free throws before playing Wyoming. Against the Cowboys, the Falcons hit just 9-of-18 free throws in a loss.

“We just have to make them,” forward Mike Fitzgerald said. “That shouldn’t happen.”