Air Force Falls Short In 59-58 Setback To San José State

PHOENIX, Ariz. - Air Force men's basketball (4-11, 2-9 MW) dropped a 59-58 Mountain West contest to San José State (4-11, 2-9 MW) Thursday night at Ability 360 Sports & Fitness Center. Junior guard AJ Walker led the way with a game-high 21 points.

San Jose State raced out to a 36-30 halftime lead by shooting 63 percent from the field in the opening half. The Spartans were a perfect 9 of 9 from the field in the opening half.

Air Force, which trailed by as many as 10 points in the first half, rallied back to start the second half. A 12-2 run to open the second half had the Falcons up 42-38 with under 17 minutes to play.

The teams battled back and forth the rest of the way with nine lead changes in the game. The Falcons led by two with 3:18 play before the Spartans rallied back. A free throw by San Jose State made it a one point game, before the Spartans took the lead on a put-back dunk by forward Ralph Agee at 59-58 with 2:17 to play.

The Falcons had several opportunities to take the lead back but its final four shots missed its mark and SJSU escaped with the win.

Walker reached 20 points for the third time this season, scoring 19 in the first half. Senior Ameka Akaya, making his first start in 13 games, scored 14 points, one shy of his career-high in 36 minutes played. Senior Chris Joyce added 10 points, all coming in the second half.

Air Force shot 41 percent from the field, setting season-high's for shots (54) and three's attempted (29). San Jose State shot 50 percent from the field. After making six first-half three's, Air Force held the Spartans without a three in the second half. Air Force tied a season-high with four blocked shots, with senior Keaton Van Soelen recording two swats.

Agee and Trey Smith led San Jose State with 15 points each. Caleb Simmons added 11 rebounds, while not scoring a point.

Game two of the series is Saturday, Jan. 30 and tips at 4 pm MT and will be streamed on the Mountain West Network.

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