Air Force Men's Basketball Shut Down in Second Half in Latest League Loss

The Air Force Falcons men's basketball team was unable to lock in a Mountain West win at Viejas Arena on Wednesday night, as they lost to San Diego State, 67-38.

The Aztecs proved their conference dominance against the Falcons; seemingly never letting their foot off the gas for their home crowd.

San Diego State boosted its overall record to 10-3 and 3-1 in Mountain West action. The Falcons dropped to 3-12 overall and 0-4 in the MWC. Fortunately for Air Force, this wasn't San Diego's best game of the season. Many of their stats matched up with the Falcons, with the exception of points in the paint.

The Aztecs had a field goal percentage of 36.2, only about five percent higher than the Falcons. Neither team shot well tonight, so saying San Diego shot better is all about perspective.

The Air Force accumulated a total of 20 turnovers, which San Diego was then able to turn into a total of 24 points. The Falcons were also not as diligent on the offensive boards as the Aztecs were, only grabbing two offensive rebounds throughout the entire game. San Diego's second-chance points are what really placed them ahead in that second half.

Senior guard Ethan Taylor was the leading scorer for the Falcons, putting up a total of 11 points. Luke Kearney was close behind with nine points for the night. San Diego's Nick Boyd shouldered the majority of his team's points, recording 16 points.

Of the two teams, the Air Force held the higher 3-point shooting percentage at 25, beating the Aztecs behind the arc by a narrow margin.

As the Aztecs look ahead to Saturday, they will look to record their first conference win against San Jose State (7-10, 0-5), a program that is not performing any better than the Falcons. The Spartans will make their way to Colorado Springs to face off against the Air Force, giving the Falcons the advantage of a home crowd.

Bearing Wednesday's conference records in mind, a Mountain West win would elevate the Falcons ahead of Nevada, San Jose State, and Fresno State. Utah State is currently leading the conference with a perfect 5-0 against Mountain West opponents, and they are ranked No. 25 in the nation.

In the coming weeks, the Falcons will look to build on their shortcomings, gearing up for nothing more than conference matchups for the remainder of their regular season.