Air Force Unable To Keep Pace With Boise State In 77-59 Setback

BOISE, IDAHO - Air Force men's basketball dropped a 77-59 contest at Boise State (9-3, 1-0 MW) in both team's Mountain West-opener Saturday afternoon at Extra Mile Arena. Sophomore forward Luke Kearney led the Falcons with 16 points.

Air Force trailed by just one point at the half, but Boise State turned up the intensity in the second-half, out-scoring the Falcons 45-28 to pull away.

The first half was a back-and-forth battle, which saw the Falcons erase a 10-point Boise State lead and take a brief lead.

The Broncos led 25-15 with 8:11 to play and looked poised to take control of the game. Air Force held the Broncos to just two field goals the rest of the half, going on a 16-7 run to trail by one at the half at 32-31. The Falcons actually took the lead at 31-30 on a Luke Kearney three with 34 seconds in the half. Boise was able to get a bucket with five seconds before the half to re-take the lead.

The Falcons shot 60 percent from the field in the opening half, and forced seven Boise turnovers.

Boise State opened with a 15-2 run to start the second half. A 6-0 run and a 9-0 run pushed the Broncos ahead 47-33. The Falcons were unable to get closer than 12 points the rest of the way.

Tyson Degenhart led Boise State with 19 points on 7-10 shooting from the field. Guard Alvaro Cardenas added a double-double with 15 points and 12 assists.

Air Force shot 55 percent from the field, but committed 18 turnovers. Kearney tied career-high's for points scored and with four three's made. Joining Kearney in double-figures was freshman guard Kyle Marshall, who added 13 points. Sophomore Caleb Walker led the Falcons with six rebounds and senior guard Ethan Taylor added five assists.

Air Force returns to action Tuesday, Dec. 31, hosting UNLV. Tip time is 2 pm MT and the game will be broadcast on Altitude and MWN.

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