Veterans lift Air Force past Chicago State 68-54
AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. — With its leading scorer out and the shots not falling against a seemingly overmatched opponent, Air Force needed someone to step up Friday night against Chicago State.
The Falcons got just that from two veteran starters, senior Taylor Stewart and junior Taylor Broekhuis, and survived a slow start en route to a 68-54 victory.
Stewart and Broekhuis each scored 16 points for Air Force (9-4), which trailed by five against the Cougars (0-15) in the first half. The Falcons hit 65 percent in the second half to pull away and improve to 8-1 at Clune Arena.
“After halftime, I think our guys did a nice job of bouncing back,” Air Force coach Jeff Reynolds said.
“I thought they did a good job of not letting us run anything, and no matter where we threw the ball in the first half, they just scrambled the game. We weren’t game-ready and were out of sync, and I don’t know why.
“We’ve got to play better on both ends of the floor, and we’ve got to be more consistent. Fortunately tonight we were in a position where we did not have to play our best and were still fortunate enough to win.”
With Michael Lyons (16.3 ppg) missing his fourth consecutive game due to a sprained ankle, the Falcons hit just one of their first seven 3-pointers and struggled out of the gate. Trailing 13-9 with eight minutes left in the first half, Air Force needed someone to provide a spark.
That turned out to be Stewart.
The 6-foot-5 forward keyed an 11-2 run over a 4-minute stretch with four points, two assists, a rebound and a steal. That spurt gave the Falcons a lead they did not relinquish.
“I just made plays,” said Stewart, who added five assists, three rebounds and two blocks while tying his career-high scoring output.
“Everybody was shooting their shot, but we just needed to take it inside. Some of the coaches said, `Somebody’s got to get in the middle,’ and I said, `Let’s go.’ “
Reynolds was pleased with the play of his upperclassmen, who stood up as leaders for the largely young team. That included junior guard Todd Fletcher, who had five assists and no turnovers while tying a career high with seven rebounds.
Reynolds said Stewart “is a guy who’s aggressive with the ball, and he was able to penetrate, get shots for other people and put himself at the free throw line. I thought he did a nice job. I thought Taylor Stewart and Todd Fletcher were very solid.”
Air Force scored on its first seven possessions of the second half to expand a four-point halftime advantage into a double-digit lead. Making a more conscious effort to penetrate the Cougars’ pesky zone was also a strategy that paid off for the Falcons, who had 34 points in the paint but gave up 15 offensive rebounds.
“In the first half, I think we came out a little tentative,” said Broekhuis, who had six rebounds, tied a career high with five assists and had a pair of blocks.
“We just tried to come out in the second half and have fun. You can go over the X’s and O’s all you want, but if you’re not having fun, what’s the point in playing?”
Lee Fisher had 16 points and 18 rebounds to lead the Cougars, who shot just 30.4 percent.
Air Force hit just 34.6 percent in the first half, while Chicago State connected on only 22.2 percent. The teams combined for more turnovers (21) than baskets (15) in the first half, and the Falcons led 22-18 at the break.