by Daniel Uthman, USA TODAY Sports

No. 24 Colorado State leads the nation in rebounds per game at 42.5, so Air Force’s Michael Lyons employed a strategy Saturday that would minimize the Rams’ backboard dominance. Simply put, he made shots instead of missing them.

Lyons scored 45 points, the third-highest single game total in men’s Division I this season and more than half of his team’s total, in Air Force’s 89-86 home loss to the Rams in Colorado Springs on Saturday.

“Has anybody ever seen an individual performance like that?” said Air Force coach Dave Pilipovich. “That was pretty good wasn’t it? Even his misses were exciting. Is there any way we can get him another year? This disappointing part is that it would have been great to highlight after a win.”

Lyons’ single-game total of 45 points trails only South Dakota State senior Nate Wolters (53) and Oakland junior Travis Bader (47) in Division I this season.

Lyons made 17 of 25 field goals, 6 of 13 from three-point range, in the highest scoring performance by an Air Force player in a conference game and the most ever scored by a Falcons player at Clune Arena. His 17 field goals were one off the school record of 18 set by Bob Beckel against Colorado School of Mines on Dec. 15, 1956. The 45 points were the highest by an Air Force player since Beckel’s school-record 50 against Arizona on Feb. 28, 1959.

“We just had no answer,” said Colorado State coach Larry Eustachy. “That’s like one of those NBA guys. We didn’t contest two of his shots in the first half and he had 25. Come on. I mean, there was just no answer for him. They asked me on TV and there is just no answer for when a guy gets like that. I’ve seen very few like him. He’s special.”

The loss was a huge missed opportunity for Air Force, which is fighting for NCAA tournament contention, but it was a positive development, too. In the teams’ first meeting this season in Fort Collins, the Falcons had lost by 39 points.

Lyons entered the season 22nd on Air … [For more on Michael Lyons' 45 aren't enough vs. No. 24 Colorado State, click here.]