Saturday, December 14
Colorado Springs, CO
1:00 PM
University of California, Riverside
52
at
62
Air Force
Photo by: Carlos Puma
Defense Dominates As Air Force Top Men's Basketball, 62-52
12/14/2013 4:49:00 PM | Men's Basketball
US Air Force Academy, CO—Despite holding Air Force to 29.0 percent shooting from the floor and 22.2 percent from long distance, the UC Riverside Men's Basketball Team dropped a 62-52 decision to the Falcons Saturday afternoon at Clune Arena (box score).
The Highlanders were tasked with trying to slow down an Air Force offense that entered the game averaging 74.9 points while connecting on 49.0 percent shooting from the field and 39.0 percent from three-point range.
For most of the game, they did just that forcing the Falcons to misfire on 44 of 62 shots. But Air Force dominated the glass, particular on the offensive end where they enjoyed a 15-3 advantage, and forced UC Riverside into 20 turnovers on the day.
Neither teams' offense could get on track in the early going as Air Force missed five of its first six shots from the field before the first media timeout, and the Highlanders countered by missing all three of their field goal attempts. Nick Gruninger made a pair of free throws for UC Riverside, however, and the Falcons led, 3-2, with 15:48 to go.
Air Force's Princeton offense finally produced some easy baskets midway through the period, as the Falcons turned an 8-6 UC Riverside lead into a 15-8 Air Force advantage with just over eight minutes to go in the first.
It was still a seven-point Falcons lead with 7:24 to go when the UCR started chipping away, tying the game at 19 with 5:02 remaining. Four different Highlanders scored during the run, but Air Force didn't concede the lead, and entered the locker room at the half up 26-23.
The scoreboard didn't move for nearly three minutes in the second, before Taylor Johns lay up on an inbounds play cut the lead one, 26-25. That was the last point the Highlanders would score until Chris Patton drained a pair of free throws with 12:53 to go.
UC Riverside committed seven turnovers and seven fouls in the first seven-plus minutes of the second, and the Falcons built a 15-point lead, 42-27, with 12:02 to go.
The Highlanders battled back cutting the lead under double digits on eight separate occasions. A Lucas Devenny lay up and free throw with 4:21 to go made it a seven-point Air Force lead, 51-44, but that was as close as UC Riverside could get.
Kamryn Williams, who hadn't scored all night long for the Falcons, drained a three-pointer with 2:23 remaining to push the lead back out to ten. After a Taylor Johns jumper, Williams connected on another three ball to effectively end the ball game.
Johns led the Highlanders with his second double-double in three games scoring 14 points and grabbing 12 boards. Tre' Coggins paced all scorers with 17 points for Air Force, and Max Yon chipped in with 10 points.
The Highlanders remain in Colorado Territory as they travel to Greeley, Colorado for a 6:05 pm PT tip against Northern Colroado on Monday, December 16.
The Highlanders were tasked with trying to slow down an Air Force offense that entered the game averaging 74.9 points while connecting on 49.0 percent shooting from the field and 39.0 percent from three-point range.
For most of the game, they did just that forcing the Falcons to misfire on 44 of 62 shots. But Air Force dominated the glass, particular on the offensive end where they enjoyed a 15-3 advantage, and forced UC Riverside into 20 turnovers on the day.
Neither teams' offense could get on track in the early going as Air Force missed five of its first six shots from the field before the first media timeout, and the Highlanders countered by missing all three of their field goal attempts. Nick Gruninger made a pair of free throws for UC Riverside, however, and the Falcons led, 3-2, with 15:48 to go.
Air Force's Princeton offense finally produced some easy baskets midway through the period, as the Falcons turned an 8-6 UC Riverside lead into a 15-8 Air Force advantage with just over eight minutes to go in the first.
It was still a seven-point Falcons lead with 7:24 to go when the UCR started chipping away, tying the game at 19 with 5:02 remaining. Four different Highlanders scored during the run, but Air Force didn't concede the lead, and entered the locker room at the half up 26-23.
The scoreboard didn't move for nearly three minutes in the second, before Taylor Johns lay up on an inbounds play cut the lead one, 26-25. That was the last point the Highlanders would score until Chris Patton drained a pair of free throws with 12:53 to go.
UC Riverside committed seven turnovers and seven fouls in the first seven-plus minutes of the second, and the Falcons built a 15-point lead, 42-27, with 12:02 to go.
The Highlanders battled back cutting the lead under double digits on eight separate occasions. A Lucas Devenny lay up and free throw with 4:21 to go made it a seven-point Air Force lead, 51-44, but that was as close as UC Riverside could get.
Kamryn Williams, who hadn't scored all night long for the Falcons, drained a three-pointer with 2:23 remaining to push the lead back out to ten. After a Taylor Johns jumper, Williams connected on another three ball to effectively end the ball game.
Johns led the Highlanders with his second double-double in three games scoring 14 points and grabbing 12 boards. Tre' Coggins paced all scorers with 17 points for Air Force, and Max Yon chipped in with 10 points.
The Highlanders remain in Colorado Territory as they travel to Greeley, Colorado for a 6:05 pm PT tip against Northern Colroado on Monday, December 16.
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