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Air Force (3-1) At Stanford (2-0)
GAME NOTES: The Air Force Falcons try to bounce back from their first loss of the season as they head to California to challenge the Stanford Cardinal tonight in non-conference action. The Falcons ripped off three straight wins to open 2008-09, but in the final game of the Reggie Minton Air Force Classic on Sunday the academy was treated to a 74-61 beating by Wofford. As for Stanford, it has played just two games thus far, winning both. First the Cardinal took care of Yale on the road by a score of 75-67 and then followed that up with a 103-85 victory against Cal State Northridge on November 18th, which means the team has been out of action for more than a week now. As far as the all-time series is concerned, Air Force holds a 6-5 edge over the Cardinal, thanks to a 79-45 thrashing of Stanford in the most recent decision two years ago. As a result, the Falcons have won three of the last four meetings.
After being tied at the break the Air Force defense began to break down in the second half, allowing Wofford to convert 54.5 percent from the floor, eventually leading to the 13-point home loss. Grant Parker came off the bench to tally a team-best 15 points, followed by Matt Holland with 13 points, Evan Washington 11 and Andrew Henke 10 points. In addition to 14 turnovers, the Falcons also shot just 6-of-21 from three-point range. A starter in all four games, Washington has been a pleasant surprise for the academy because, not only has he accounting for 7.5 ppg and 10 assists, he's also brought some strength to the paint with his 6.3 rpg. Oddly enough, for a team that has always had trouble matching up in the rebounding department, the Falcons actually are ahead of opponents here in the early going by 1.5 boards per contest. The scoring defense may not be as tight, giving up 66.2 ppg, but when it comes to Mountain West Conference play that should all change.
Stanford put all the pieces together against Cal State Northridge, forcing the visitors into 25 costly turnovers and outscoring the Matadors at the free- throw line, 40-9. However, the defense for the Cardinal was a little weak as it allowed Northridge to shoot a lofty 62.5 percent from the field. On Stanford's side there were five starters all scoring at least 14 points, beginning with Anthony Goods and his 25-point outburst. Landry Fields tacked on 18 points, while Lawrence Hill, Josh Owens and Mitch Johnson all tallied 14 points, the latter also handing out eight of the team's 14 assists. Through the first two games Johnson has issued 14 assists and been caught with only five turnovers, all while contributing 12.5 ppg. Goods heads the scoring list with his 22 ppg, shooting 46.2 percent behind the three-point line. Opponents have been allowed to convert 52.9 percent from the field, but at the same time Stanford has held a 59-16 scoring advantage at the charity stripe.
With Washington giving the Falcons more of a presence in the paint, the academy has a great chance of winning back-to-back meetings against Stanford again.
Predicted OutcomeAir Force 72, Stanford 69Copyright 2008 Courtesy of The Sports Network.
