COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. --Jordan Schakel scored 24 points and Terrell Gomez scored 15 and San Diego State beat Air Force 91-59 on Sunday night.
"It was a hard-fought win," Aztec coach Brian Dutcher said. "I mean we knew it was going to be tough. We knew they'd respond after the way we beat them in the first game, and the first half was very competitive. They moved the ball at a better pace; they were quick with their cuts and they caught us on a lot of action. We were fortunate to have a 13-point lead (at halftime), which we built on in the second half, and this was a game where we had multiple contributors. We played all 10 guys significant minutes and then got some of the guys in at the end of the bench in for the last seven. So, everybody contributed today, which was important because I looked at them and the altitude did have an effect on us. I know people probably don't want to hear that, but even in shoot around today I thought certain guys were struggling. So, we went to the bench quick. We played maybe three- or four-minute stands for most of the guys and it was just a great team effort today."
San Diego State defeats Air Force for the fifth consecutive time, outscores the Falcons 189-120 in the two games in Colorado Springs, and defeats Air Force in Colorado Springs for the third consecutive time, matching the school record for most consecutive wins at Air Force.
Aguek Arop made two foul shots with 15:50 left in the first half, the Aztecs (11-4, 5-3 Mountain West Conference) took a 5-4 lead and they never trailed again. The points started a 17-5 from which Air Force (4-10, 2-8) never recovered.
San Diego now has won back-to-back contests and five of its last seven. The Falcons have dropped three straight and are 1-7 in their last eight.
San Diego State made a season-high 16 three-point field goals, including six from Schakel and five from Gomez, and shot a season-best 53.3 percent from distance. The Aztecs 53.3 percent shooting from beyond the arc is its highest since making 11-of-18 (61.1 percent) vs. Creighton on Nov. 28, 2019.
Overall, SDSU hit 31-of-60 (.517) from the floor and has won 22 straight games and is 34-1 in the Dutcher era when shooting at least 50 percent from the field.
After missing the last two games, Matt Mitchell returned to the Aztecs lineup and reached double figures for the 13th straight game in which he has played. That is every game he has played in this season. He finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and three assists in just 14 minutes.
Nikc Jackson scored 17 points and Chris Joyce 13 for Air Force.
Schakel Scores 24 as Aztecs Rout Falcons Again
