Despite loss, Air Force’s trio of Mills, Brown, Kearney impress against Wyoming
Air Force’s offense didn’t click for long in Tuesday’s 74-63 loss to Wyoming, but when it did, three specific guys shined bright.
Jeffrey Mills, Luke Kearney and Byron Brown each finished in double figures. Neither of them entered the game as one of Air Force’s leading scorers, but each of them were valuable Tuesday.
Mills was the leader, notching 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting. He made five 3-pointers and tallied three assists.
Mills had missed the last two games because of a back injury. But he looked 100% against the Cowboys.
“I just wanted to come out and help my team get the win,” Mills said. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t do that. But from a personal standpoint, I’m glad I was able to get back into a rhythm.”
Brown was just behind Mills with 16 points. He went 6-of-13 from the field and made three 3-pointers.
His 16 points were a new career high.
“They were playing off of me a little bit,” Brown said. “I can’t shoot the ball every time, so I was just trying to find other ways to get people open.”
And Kearney, a freshman, scored 13 points. It marked only Kearney’s second career game logging double figures, as he scored a career-high 16 points against UNLV on Jan. 23.
While those three were strong, the rest of the team didn’t have much offensive life. The other five players who entered the game combined for just 17 points.
But with how well Mills, Brown and Kearney played, Air Force coach Joe Scott is optimistic about how his team could become deeper for the rest of the 2023-24 season and beyond.
“I see more bodies there,” Scott said. “And I see a couple more after that just need to grow up a little bit. Hopefully they will and we’ll see a major difference in some of these guys next fall.
“Everyone’s going to Las Vegas for what people call the second season. Nobody has a record. I want to see a team and a bunch of guys that understand what college basketball is.”
Air Force’s Byron Brown drives against Wyoming’s Cam Manyawu on Tuesday, March 5, 2024.
Air Force’s Jeffrey Mills attempts a floater against Wyoming on Tuesday, March 5, 2024.
Air Force’s Luke Kearney attempts a shot against Wyoming’s Cam Manyawu on Tuesday, March 5, 2024. (Carson Field, The Gazette)