Air Force Upended By San Diego State On Overtime Buzzer Beater

USAF ACADEMY, Colo. - Air Force men's basketball dropped a 77-76 overtime contest to San Diego State (12-5, 5-3 MW) in Mountain West play Wednesday night at Clune Arena. Wayne McKinney III scored the game-winning basket as time expired in overtime to lift the Aztecs to the win.

The setback overshadowed a gritty performance by the Falcons, who clawed its way back from a double-digit deficit.

Trailing by one, center Wesley Celichowski tipped in a missed free throw with four seconds left to put Air Force ahead 76-75. On the ensuing play, McKinney took the inbounds pass and drove full court and was able to score on a layup as time expired.

Celichowski and senior Ethan Taylor combined for 43 points to lead the Falcons. Celichowski went 8 for 8 from the field and tied a career-high with 22 points. Taylor scored 21 points, knocking down four three's and going 9 for 11 from the free throw line.

Sophomore Luke Kearney added 14 points, knocking down three three's. Freshman Kyle Marshall added six points and a career-high 11 rebounds.

Air Force went to the free throw line 44 times, making 30 free throws. The 44 free throw attempts set a program record for most free throws in a conference game, breaking the record of 42 set in 1994.

The 76 points was the most scored against SDSU since 2005.

A big run early by San Diego State put the Falcons down double-digits early. A 11-0 run by the Aztecs made it a 17-8 game. The Falcons came back and go to within one point with under two minutes in the half and would trail by four at 35-31 at the break.

The Aztecs got up by 10 with 14:33 in the second half, before the Falcons mounted their rally. Air Force responded with a 15-4 run to take the lead 53-52 at the 7:58 mark. The Falcons led by as many as four late, but the Aztecs went on a 6-2 run to close regulation to send the game to overtime.

Air Force shot 43 percent from the field and 40 percent from three. The Falcons out-rebounded the Aztecs 39-37.

Air Force returns to action Saturday, Jan. 25, hosting Utah State. Tip time is 2 pm MT from Clune Arena. The game will be broadcast nationally on the Mountain West Network (MWN).

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