Air Force Surges Late to Defeat Colorado Christian

The Air Force Falcons went on a 18-4 run late in the second half to secure a win in a competitive game with Division II Colorado Christian on Wednesday evening by a score of 70-47. The win raises Air Force's record to 2-1 overall in the first week of the season. Max Yon lead the team for the third time this season with his 20 points along with six rebounds and three assist.

The Falcons were without two key seniors Wednesday as forward Kamryn Williams sat out the game with an undisclosed injury along with senior forward DeLovell Earls who is still recovering from a concussion. Hayden Graham would replace Williams in the starting lineup and finish with 10 points to provide a solid presence on the wing for Air Force. With Graham in the starting lineup, two players would make the contributions off the bench that Graham had been making during the first weekend. Freshman guard Trevor Lyons would score 11 points and center Zach Moer would provide eight points in the paint to help the Falcons bench provide a spark. Lyons had a key stretch late in the first half when he scored nine points during a time when Air Force and Colorado Christian were in a tight battle where the teams were matching each other basket for basket.

The entire first half and early in the second half, the Falcons were struggling to make shots and were turning the ball over at an alarming rate. The Falcons, who would end the game with 16 turnovers, were able to extend a 49-43 when Yon and Matt Mooney would have back to back three's, which were immediately followed by two Yon free throws to grow the lead to 57-43. Wayne McCullough of Colorado Christian would hit a three-pointer to end the mini run by the Falcons, but the Air Force 1-2-2 Zone Press would throw the Cougars into a bit of a funk and the Falcons would finish the game by scoring the last 11 points, highlighted by a powerful dunk by Yon.

The Falcons will look to enjoy more home cooking this Saturday when they host another Division II team from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in the Western State Mountaineers. The Mountaineers from Gunnison, Colorado will be facing their second straight Mountain West team as they traveled to Wyoming this past Tuesday and were defeated by the Cowboys 61-46. After Western State, the Falcons will step up the competition with back to back road games versus Colorado and Texas Tech.