Henke's hot streak in Vegas can't end Falcons' bad luck
LAS VEGAS • Andrew Henke did his best to lift Air Force to an upset of UNLV on Wednesday night with a late flurry.
But the Runnin’ Rebels weathered the senior’s sharp shooting, and the Falcons were left to lament a 46-43 loss in front of an announced crowd of 14,943 at the Thomas and Mack Center.
Air Force, 9-19 overall and 0-15 in the Mountain West Conference, has lost 16 in a row. But unlike early in conference play, when margins of defeat consistently were in the 20s, the past three losses have come by a painful 11 combined points.
“It’s so tough because these games are games we used to win,” said Henke, who scored nine of his game-high 19 points in a late 2-minute stretch.
It didn’t seem as if Air Force would have a chance to win when UNLV senior Wink Adams scored with 8:15 left to give the Runnin’ Rebels (21-8, 9-6) a 41-29 lead, their biggest of the game.
But freshman Trevor Noonan (eight points) hit a 3-pointer with 7:08 left to cut the Falcons’ deficit to single digits. And in the closing minutes, Henke caught fire.
With 3:29 left, he made the first of two free throw attempts. He missed the second, but Noonan got the rebound and sent it back to Henke, who drilled a 3-pointer with 3:18 left to cut the lead to 41-36.
Two possessions later, Henke hit another deep 3 with 1:48 left and the Runnin’ Rebels’ advantage was down to 41-39. After a pair of free throws by UNLV’s Rene Rougeau, Henke answered with a jumper with 56.6 seconds left.
“He made some big-time shots, and he showed some great resiliency and toughness under a lot of duress,” Air Force coach Jeff Reynolds said.
Adams, however, made another big play in his storied career, scoring on a twisting drive to the rim with 24.6 seconds left.
Matt Holland missed a pair of 3-point tries on the Falcons’ next possession, and Joe Darger hit one free throw with 8.8 seconds left to seal the victory for the Rebels.
“Just sick of losing. Trying to do something,” Henke said when asked about his late barrage.
“Made a couple tough shots, but it still comes down to the defensive end. We get one more stop and it’s probably a whole different ball game.”
Noonan catching second wind
In the four games prior to last Saturday's contest against Wyoming, freshman forward Trevor Noonan played a combined 3 minutes.
But after playing a solid 14 minutes Saturday, Noonan played a career-high 28 on Wednesday. He matched his career high with eight points, grabbed five rebounds and had two assists and a block.
"In the last 10 days, Trevor Noonan has really started to come - you could see it in practice," coach Jeff Reynolds said. "He has a better understanding of what to do in the offense. ... He's got a chance to be a really good player for us."
Third time a charm?
On Wednesday, Colorado State lost to San Diego State 68-59, clinching eighth in the Mountain West Conference and a spot in the MWC Tournament play-in game against Air Force next Wednesday.
The Rams, who swept the season series with Air Force, have completed the regular season. Air Force has to travel to Provo, Utah, to play BYU on Saturday.
Largest lead not that large
When Grant Parker hit a 3-pointer with 4:29 left in the first half, Air Force had a 19-11 edge. The eight-point lead is the largest Air Force has had in 15 MWC games.
