Air Force Unable To Overtake San Diego State In 76-64 Setback

SAN DIEGO, Calif. - Air Force men's basketball (10-13, 3-9 MW) fell at San Diego State (15-6, 7-3 MW), 76-64, in Mountain West action Saturday night at Viejas Arena at Aztec Bowl. Senior guard AJ Walker led the Falcons with 27 points.

The Aztecs shot 64 percent from the field and had three in doubles figures. Forward Nathan Mensah scored 14 points, to go with six rebounds and three blocked shots to lead SDSU. Matt Bradley scored 13 and Keshad Johnson added 11 points.

Air Force and San Diego State battled back-and-forth in the first half, which featured eight lead changes. The Falcons opened hot, making its first seven shots from the field and getting 17 first-half points from Walker. For the half, the Falcons shot 63.2 percent from the field. The Aztecs also shot well at 63.6 percent however, to lead 37-33 at the break.

San Diego State took control of the game early in the second half with a 12-0 run. The Falcons trailed by double figures for most of the second half, but got the game back to single digits late, utilizing a 9-0 run. The Aztecs stopped that rally with a 6-0 run of its own to pull away.

The Falcons had three in double figures, led by Walkers's 27, which tied his season high. It was also the most by a Falcon so far in Mountain West play. Walker went 10 of 16 from the field, hitting a pair of threes and going 5 of 6 from the free throw line.

Junior forward Nikc Jackson scored 13 points on 4 of 6 shooting. He also went 5 for 6 from the line. Freshman guard Jake Heidbreder scored 10 points, to go with a team-high five rebounds. Freshman guard Ethan Taylor added six points and had four steals and three assists.

Air Force shot 49 percent from the field and 80 percent from the line. The Falcons struggled from three, making just 22 percent.

Air Force returns to action Wednesday, Feb. 16, hosting Boise State. The game tips at 8 pm MT and will be broadcast on FS1.

Footer

The appearance of hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by the u.s air force of non-u.s. government sites or the information, products, or services contained therein. Although the u.s. air force may or may not use these sites as additional distribution channels for department of defense information, it does not exercise editorial control over all of the information that you may find at these locations. Such links are provided consistent with the stated purpose of this website.