Falcons host Boise State on Saturday
1/22/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Game 19: Air Force (8-10, 1-6) vs. Boise State (13-6, 3-3)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 24, 2015
Time: 12:05 p.m. MT
TV: ROOT Sports; Marc Stout (play-by-play), Marty Fletcher (analyst)
Radio: KVOR AM 740; Jim Arthur (play-by-play), Matt Pauley (analyst)
THE FACTS
• Air Force and Boise State are playing for eighth time overall. The Broncos lead the series, 4-3, overall. The teams are tied 3-3 in conference meetings. • Air Force and Boise State split last season's games, each winning at home. Boise State defeated Air Force, 69-58, in Boise while the Falcons were 64-61 winners at home in overtime. • Air Force is 2-1 at home vs. Boise State and have won two straight dating back to Boise State's lone win, 72-61, on Feb. 11, 2012. • The Falcons are 7-3 at home this season, including a 1-2 mark in MW games.
THE SERIES
Air Force and Boise State are meeting for the eighth time overall and seventh time as conference foes. Boise State leads the overall series, 4-3. The teams are tied 3-3 in conference play. Air Force is 2-1 at home and 1-3 in Boise. The teams split last season's series, each winning at home. Boise State defeated Air Force, 69-58, on Jan. 29 while the Falcons won 64-61 in overtime at home March 8. Air Force has won two straight at home in the series. The teams first played in the Albertson's Classic in Boise on Dec. 27, 1991 resulting in a Boise State victory, 77-68.
LAST SEASON VS. BOISE STATE
1/29/14: Ryan Watkins had 16 points and 13 rebounds and Anthony Drmic scored 16 points as Boise State defeated Air Force 69-58. Thomas Bropleh and Jeff Elorriaga added 13 points apiece as the Broncos won for the fourth time in five games. Max Yon scored 15 points and Marek Olesinski added 14 for the Falcons. Air Force played without leading scorer Tre' Coggins and lost its third straight and fifth in six games. Elorriaga had all of his points in the first half and Bropleh tallied 11 as the Broncos held a 39-31 halftime lead. Boise State led by as many as 17 in the second half before Air Force cut its deficit to 65-55 on Yon's basket with 2:06 left. Two free throws by Derrick Marks and a basket by Drmic helped the Broncos hold off the charge. Boise State out-rebounded the Falcons 31-21 behind Watkins' fifth consecutive double-double and held a 16-0 edge in bench points. Air Force's depth took a hit with Coggins sidelined and DeLovell Earls moved into the starting lineup but played just 18 minutes before fouling out. Coggins, who averages 17.4 points, also will miss Air Force's game at Nevada on Saturday. Boise State had an eight-point halftime edge and quickly expanded the lead after the break. Drmic scored six points during an 8-0 surge to push the advantage to 49-34 with 16:46 remaining and two free throws by Watkins increased the margin to 17 with 11:14 to play. Air Force moved within 61-50 on a basket by Kamryn Williams with 5:16 remaining before Watkins scored the Broncos' next four points to stretch the margin back out to 14 with 3:47 left. The Falcons were hurt by 13-of-23 free-throw shooting and Yon committed five of their 10 turnovers. Justin Hammonds with 12 points and Williams with 11 also scored in double figures. Drmic and Elorriaga each made three 3-pointers for the Broncos, who were 7-of-18 from behind the arc. Elorriaga's final 3-pointer was the 200th of his career, making him only the fourth Boise State player to reach that milestone. Elorriaga scored 11 points and Bropleh added nine over the first 13 1/2 minutes as Boise State took a 26-15 advantage. Air Force battled back to within 34-31 on a dunk by Williams with 1:21 left before Elorriaga drove for a basket and Drmic drained a 3-pointer to give the Broncos a 39-31 halftime lead.
3/8/14: Air Force really knows how to celebrate senior day. The Falcons defeated Boise State, 64-61, in overtime in Clune Arena in Mountain West Conference action in the regular season finale for both schools. Senior Chase Kammerer, the lone senior on the roster, started and helped the Falcons play with more energy and enthusiasm that had been lacking the last few home games. He finished with four points, five rebounds and tied his career high with five assists in a career-high 31 minutes. The Falcons entered the game not having held a lead in its last two home games and quickly ended that trend with its opening basket, a 3-pointer by DeLovell Earls. Air Force took the lead at the 16:54 mark, 8-6, on a 3-pointer by Kamryn Williams and held it the rest of the half. The Falcons took a 30-23 lead into the break. Boise State opened the second half with a 10-3 run to tie the score, 35-35, with 14:02 left and the two teams exchanged the lead four times with two ties from that point. The overtime, however, was all Air Force. Max Yon scored seven of his 11 points in the extra period, including a jumper and three-point play in the final 50 seconds to secure the win for the Falcons. His three-point play with 23 seconds left gave the Falcons a 64-58 lead before Boise State closed the game with a 3-pointer in the final second. Kamryn Williams led the Falcons with a season-high 22 points and a career-best 13 rebounds to notch his fifth-career double-double and third this season. He is the first Falcon since 2007 to have three double-doubles in a season. Yon added seven rebounds and two assists while Tre' Coggins chipped in with 10 points before fouling out at the end of regulation. The Falcons hit four-of-five field goals in overtime and finished the game shooting 42.3 percent from the field. Air Force out-rebounded Boise State, 40-32, and held the Broncos to 35.3 percent shooting, including a two-of-seven clip in the extra session. Air Force also had 12 assists and just 12 turnovers. Jeff Elorriaga led Boise State with 15 points while Anthony Drmic and Thomas Bropleh added 14 each. Ryan Watkins chipped in with 10 points and 12 rebounds. The overtime win is the first for the Falcons at home since defeating Radford, 52-47, on Nov. 19, 2007.
AIR FORCE EARLIER THIS WEEK
Ageel Quinn hit five 3-pointers and finished with 17 points to lead San Diego State to a 77-45 victory over Air Force on Tuesday night. Winston Shepard and J.J. O'Brien each finished 11 points, with Shepard adding seven rebounds and seven assists, for the Aztecs (15-4, 5-1 Mountain West Conference), who shot 58.3 percent from the field and hit 13 3-pointers. San Diego State opened the game on a 15-6 run, led 41-18 at halftime and went on to win for the eighth time in nine games, tying them atop the conference standings. DeLovell Earls scored eight points off the bench to lead Air Force (8-10, 1-6). The Falcons were outrebounded 33-19. The Aztecs have won 13 of the last 15 in the series, and hold a commanding 52-22 lead overall against Air Force, who have lost six out of seven.
