Michael Lyons had 20 points and Taylor Broekhuis added 18 points and a career-high 12 rebounds to lead Air Force to a 75-65 win over Virginia Military Institute in the championship game of the inaugural All-Military Classic Saturday night.
The Falcons (2-0) used pressure defense and strong rebounding to stifle the Keydets (1-1), the NCAA's top-scoring team each of the past five seasons. Air Force won the rebounding battle 41-29 and held VMI to 39.3 percent shooting from the field.
Ron Burks had 15 points, Keith Gabriel 14 and Michael Sparks 13 for the Keydets.
The fast-paced first 20 minutes was a half of runs. Air Force opened a 16-8 lead, but the Keydets charged back with 13 unanswered points for a five-point advantage. The Falcons responded with a 17-0 run en route to a 38-28 lead at the break.
