71°F
weather icon Windy

Air Force’s Dave Pilipovich plans for giant leap this season

The 36-point loss at UNLV in January was a defining moment for Air Force.

Either the Falcons would fall apart or use it as a rallying point for the remainder of the basketball season.

“We weren’t as bad as 36 points to UNLV, but we couldn’t make a shot that night,” Air Force coach Dave Pilipovich said. “It was right after the (UNLV coaching) change, and they were feeling it. So we just said, ‘We’re better than this.’”

The Falcons endured four more losses in a row, but then went 4-2 to open February. That included a 79-74 home victory over the Rebels.

The teams met again the Mountain West tournament, going three overtimes before UNLV emerged with a 108-102 victory. Air Force 6-foot-5-inch forward Hayden Graham played 54 of the game’s 55 minutes, finishing with 16 points and seven rebounds. Zach Kocur, a 6-3 wing, played 50 minutes and recorded 17 points and 10 rebounds.

“It definitely takes a toll,” Kocur said. “You can feel it afterward and the next day, but during the game, you’re focused on the next play, focused on winning the game. You’re not too consumed by how tired your body is and how winded you are.

“Every game (this season), we’re going to put that much effort in, and hopefully we don’t have another experience of the first time we came here last season.”

Air Force returns all five starters off last season’s team, which went 14-18, including 5-13 in the conference. The media picked the Falcons to finish ninth in the Mountain West this season.

“We’ve got to build on what we finished last year,” Pilipovich said. “We have been good the last couple of years in February. We haven’t been very good in January. I don’t know why.

“So we’ve got to carry over from that (tournament) game.”

Contact Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow on @markanderson65 on Twitter.

Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.
THE LATEST