SAN DIEGO – San Diego State men’s basketball started slow, but ultimately cruised to a 67-38 win over Air Force at Steve Fisher Court at Viejas Arena.
The Aztecs (10-3, 3-1 Mountain West) have now won 17 straight home matchups against the Falcons (3-12, 0-3 MW), the longest active streak against any team.
Nick Boyd led all scorers with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting. BJ Davis was second with 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting. Both had 13-point halves with Boyd’s coming in the first and Davis’ in the second.
Jared Coleman-Jones had a milestone day with a career-high 14 rebounds to surpass 500 total for his career. He also added 10 points for his first double-double as an Aztec and ninth of his career.
The Aztecs were ice cold to start Wednesday night’s contest, shooting 3-of-19 (15.8%) through the first 10 minutes on the court.
On the other side, Air Force made their first three field goals and five of their first six shots to jump out to an early lead. In a six-minute stretch from 17:14 to 11:01, the Falcons went on a 17-2 scoring run for a 12-point advantage.
The momentum shifted quickly around the 10-minute mark when SDSU’s defense forced a shot clock violation, the first of four consecutive Air Force turnovers and the start of a 22-2 scoring run for the Scarlet and Black.
For the remainder of the first half, the Aztecs made 10-of-16 from the field on offense and forced nine Air Force turnovers on defense to lead by nine at the break.
The second half started with a 14-0 Aztec run thanks in large part to four consecutive field goals and 11 points from BJ Davis. The stretch gave SDSU a 21-point advantage and never fell below that mark the rest of the night.
San Diego State’s defense was dominant in the second half surrendering just 14 points and holding the Falcons to just 2-of 16 shooting from the field and 1-of-10 from beyond the arc in the final 20 minutes on its way to the 67-38 victory.
Next up for the Aztecs is a trip to New Mexico on Saturday to take on the Lobos. Tipoff on CBS will be at 10 a.m. PT (11 a.m. MT).
STAT OF THE GAME
San Diego State called a timeout down, 20-8, with 11:01 left in the first half. The Aztecs outscored the Falcons, 59-18, the rest of the way, including at one point a 40-4 run.
THE NOTE
San Diego State’s 14 second half points allowed is the second fewest points allowed in a second half since at least 1996-97. The 38 total points allowed is tied for third fewest in a Mountain West game.
THE NOTE II
The Aztecs’ +25 rebound margin (49-24) is the largest for the program in a Mountain West game.
San Diego State Soars Past Air Force Wednesday Night
The Aztecs allowed just 14 points in the second half on their way to a 67-38 victory over the Falcons.
