San Diego State Aztecs @ Air Force Falcons Basketball Recap

San Diego State 70, Air Force 58


Now, finally, the sons of San Diego can relax a little bit – no, not in terms of thinking they have it made or that they don’t have to work hard anymore. What was valuable about a Saturday survival act on the campus of a military academy was that some hard-working players can finally rest their bodies.

The San Diego State Aztecs defeated the Air Force Falcons in Mountain West Conference competition from Clune Arena in Colorado Springs, Colorado on Saturday afternoon. The sixth-ranked Aztecs improved to 27-1 on the season, 12-1 in conference play, and can now look forward to a showdown with eight-ranked BYU in San Diego next Saturday. BYU is the only team to beat the San Diego State this season. The loss dropped Air Force to 4-8 in conference action this season.

The importance of this game against the United States Air Force was simple: It was the final landmine before the BYU battle. There was an ever-present temptation for SDSU to let down its guard and mentally downshift before the arrival of the BYU game. This team had to summon up enough focus and concentration to put away the Air Force Academy and then enjoy a solid week of downtime before training its eyes on the Cougars and the March Madness stretch run. Sure enough, San Diego State was able to get the job done, as has been the case throughout a glorious winter of basketball.

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Head coach Steve Fisher’s Aztecs have grown accustomed to fighting for victories this season. Saturday was no different. Air Force, which has played all the top-tier teams in the MWC with grit and gumption this season, provided the Aztecs with a battle. The Falcons used tremendous defensive pressure to take an eight-point lead with under four minutes to go in the first half; they limited SDSU to just eight points in the paint in the first 20 minutes. However, if pundits have learned anything from San Diego State this year, they know that the boys from the Montezuma Mesa have buttered their bread on the last 25 minutes of a game.

The Aztecs battled back to swipe seven points off AFA’s eight-point lead, creating a one- point deficit at the halftime break. Then, as the second half wore on, San Diego State’s relentless effort on the boards allowed the Aztecs to pull away. Kawhi Leonard had 18 points and 15 rebounds to capture his 18th double-double of the season. Malcolm Thomas led the Aztecs with 20 points.

The Air Force defense held the Aztecs to just 35 percent from the field. Head coach Jeff Reynolds’s club was undone by a 50-21 discrepancy in the realm of rebounding. The Falcons also gave up an astounding 21 offensive rebounds. Michael Lyons led Air Force with 18 points.

By: Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer