LEXINGTON ? Paced by tremendous smallbore score, the Kentucky rifle team outshot Air Force, 4608-4586 on Saturday at Buell Armory.

Kentucky improved to 5-3 on the season and has now bested the 4600-mark in seven straight matches. Kentucky will now take over a month off before returning to competition on Jan. 15, 2005 at the Palmyra Invitational in Palmyra, Pa.

The Wildcats got scores of better than 580 from Ray Geyer, Jeff Hamberg and Chris Boggs en route to the 2321 smallbore total, which was their second highest of the year. Geyer?s 585 was a team high as he and Boggs each broke the 580 plateau for the third straight match.

?I thought we shot well in smallbore,? said Kentucky coach Harry Mullins, who has seen his team improve its smallbore score by 30 points since the season opener. ?If we can keep shooting the way we have been, I think we?ll be okay after the break.?

After moving to air rifle, Kentucky?s numbers suffered as only Geyer could break 580, shooting 582. However, Air Force could not capitalize as Chris Hill fired the only Falcon score better than 575.

?Our air rifle score was a little low for where we want it,? Mullins said. ?We are really going to have to work on that. In the Spring, we are just going to have to come out of the gate little stronger. There is no more room for mistakes.?