BYU Cougars @ Air Force Falcons Basketball Recap

BYU 90, Air Force 52

Anything you can do I can do better. I can do anything better than you.

No you can’t. Yes, I can.

No you can’t. Yes, I can.

Yes, I can. Yes, I can. Yes, I can.

The 2011 Mountain West Conference basketball season has become one big Broadway musical. The roundball equivalent to “Annie Get Your Gun” and its beloved Irving Berlin song can be found in the two-team tussle that has unfolded over the course of the past six weeks.

Whatever San Diego State does, BYU matches. Whatever Brigham Young manages to do on a basketball court, the Aztecs imitate the next time they hit the hardwood. Two terrific teams are engaging in an enthralling brand of one-upmanship, making sure that they don’t just defeat their opponent on a given night, but that they send a message to the competitor hundreds of miles away.  

The seventh-ranked Brigham Young Cougars defeated the Air Force Falcons in Mountain West Conference action from Clune Arena in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Wednesday night. The Cougars remained even with San Diego State at 9-1 in conference play. Air Force dropped to 4-6 in MWC competition this season.

> Browse a great selection of BYU Cougars apparel right here on MWC-Fans.com!

Indeed, one night after San Diego State took Utah to the woodshed in the Southwestern corner of the sprawling state of California, the BYU boys hammered Air Force with even more emphasis in the heart of the Rocky Mountains. Sure, Brigham Young won one of its backyard rivalries in mountain country, but this was just as much a statement to the team sitting on the Montezuma Mesa near the California-Mexico border. The competition between the Cougars and the Aztecs is enabling both teams to play high-level basketball on a regular basis; neither side can afford to let down its guard, and both rosters know it.

That’s why BYU was so sharp in a game that had “letdown” written all over it.

It was the first sellout for the Air Force Academy since BYU came to town in 2007. The Falcon fans were taken out of the contest early as BYU jumped out to a big lead. On the back of great three-point shooting, the Cougars pushed their lead to 31-12 after Jimmer Fredette’s long-distance three-pointer found the bottom of the net. Fredette, the nation’s leading scorer, finished with 25 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals. The All-American was 5-of-8 beyond the arc. BYU hit 15 three-pointers on the night. Head coach Dave Rose’s squad was short-handed with an injury to starter Kyle Collinsworth. Reserve Stephen Rogers filled the void nicely, scoring 11 points.

The Falcons were led by Tom Fow and Michael Lyons, who each scored 11 points. Head coach Jeff Reynolds’s club simply couldn’t withstand two massive BYU runs of 16-0 in the first half and 14-0 in the second half. Air Force had won back-to-back road games before dropping Wednesday night’s contest.

By: Zach Bloxham
DFN Sports Staff Writer