GAME NOTES: The Air Force Falcons hit the road for just the second time this season as they clash with the Gonzaga Bulldogs in non-conference action at the McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane.
The Academy, which lost its only road game against Drake back on December 3 by a score of 62-60 during the Mountain West/Missouri Valley Challenge, has reeled off three straight wins since that setback and is now 6-2 overall on the season. Last weekend, the team tackled visiting Maryland-Eastern Shore with a 64-60 triumph.
As for the Bulldogs, they played at home on Tuesday and took care of a once- dominant Butler program rather easily with a 71-55 final. The victory was the third in a row for Gonzaga since the team dropped back-to-back decisions against Big Ten Conference foes Illinois and Michigan State earlier this month.
With respect to the all-time series between these two schools on the hardwood, the Bulldogs have won four of the previous five meetings, including both of the matchups in Spokane. The Falcons registered a 51-35 win in the first meeting back in 1975 and then in 1994, the Bulldogs claimed their fourth straight triumph with a 95-62 blowout.
Air Force made a total of seven field goals in the second half, including 1- of-10 behind the three-point line, in the meeting with Maryland-Eastern Shore but luckily that happened after the team built a double-digit lead at the half on the strength of 60.0 percent shooting from the floor. Taylor Broekhuis led the way for the hosts with 20 points and six rebounds, followed by Todd Fletcher and Michael Lyons with 15 and 14 points, respectively. Lyons, the leading scorer in the Mountain West Conference entering the week with his 18.4 ppg, is shooting an impressive 50.5 percent from the floor which is surprising since he has made just 30.0 percent of his three-point tries. Mike Fitzgerald accounts for another 10.3 ppg, while Fletcher (8.6 ppg) has tried to cover up the fact that he has made just 28.6 percent of his three-point shots by leading the team with 33 assists over eight games.
The Gonzaga defense crawled all over the Bulldogs of Butler on Tuesday night, holding the visitors to 36.9 percent shooting from the floor and 6-of-25 behind the three-point line which was more than enough to get the hosts into the win column. It also helped that Gonzaga outscored Butler at the free-throw line, 14-1, of course. Elias Harris and Kevin Pangos led the Gonzaga offense with 19 points apiece, the former also pulling down nine rebounds and hitting on 3-of-4 shots behind the three-point line. Robert Sacre was limited to just two points, although he did contribute six boards and four blocked shots. Sacre is one of three players scoring in double figures right now for the Bulldogs, pouring in 13.6 ppg while also clearing 7.1 rpg to give the squad a tough presence in the paint. Adding to Sacre's efforts is Harris with his 14.0 ppg and team-high 8.4 rpg and because of that Gonzaga is topping opponents by an average of almost six rebounds per game heading into tonight's performance.
If Air Force can keep the scoring at a minimum it might be able to stay close to the Bulldogs, but chances are the hosts are going to use their size advantage and athleticism to carve out a large lead and then cruise to the victory.
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