AIR FORCE vs. NEW MEXICO: THREE THINGS TO WATCH

1. CAN AIR FORCE PUT TOGETHER 40 SOLID MINUTES?In its Mountain West Conference opener against TCU, Air Force shook off a lousy first half, overcame a 13-point halftime deficit and took the lead late before fading. Then last week the Falcons hung with No. 18 BYU early and went to halftime trailing by just five points. But they missed 9-of-10 shots to start the second half, and the Cougars ran away with the game. “That’s been the story of Air Force basketball for a while – everyone’s been saying we can’t put two halves together, and that is definitely a problem,” junior forward Tom Fow said.

2. NEW MEXICO G DARINGTON HOBSONThe junior transfer began the week ranked fourth in the MWC in scoring (16.2 points per game), third in rebounding (8.0), fifth in assists (4.2) and ninth in field goal percentage (42.0). The 6-foot-7 lefty nicknamed “Butter” will cause matchup problems for the Falcons.

3. AIR FORCE G/F MIKE FITZGERALDBelieve it or not, the direct-in freshman is the Falcons’ leading scorer in MWC play, averaging 10.3 points in three games. Fitzgerald has been Air Force’s top deep threat in conference games, hitting 8-of-13 3-pointers (61.5 percent). The rest of the Falcons have combined to shoot 11-of-44 (25.0 percent) from behind the arc in MWC contests.

Quote to note: “We can play better defense, we can work harder, we can compete. We can show everybody in the conference that we’re not just a pushover team.” –Air Force junior forward Tom Fow.

Note to quote: Four of New Mexico’s starters average double-figure points – junior guard Darington Hobson (16.2), senior forward Roman Martinez (14.6), junior guard Dairese Gary (10.6) and sophomore guard Phillip McDonald (10.4). Sophomore forward A.J. Hardeman, the fifth starter, averages 7.8 but had a career-high 18 in the Lobos’ 70-68 victory over Wyoming on Saturday.

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