Colorado Springs – Nobody would talk about it, but the cheers from inside the Air Force men’s basketball team’s locker room spoke volumes – at a loud volume.
The Falcons upended Georgia Tech 54-46 on Wednesday night, beating the Yellow Jackets for the first time since February 1972, before 4,311 at the World Arena. It was Air Force’s ninth straight victory and 25th straight at home against nonconference teams. It was only the second victory over an Atlantic Coast Conference team in AFA history, the first coming against Miami on Nov. 14.
“I’m just thinking about the next game,” first-year Air Force coach Jeff Bzdelik said. “We’ll go to practice (today) and prepare for the next one.”
Air Force (11-1) is off to the best start in program history after 12 games, with Mountain West Conference play beginning Jan. 5. And the name of the game, as it has been for at least four years, was defense, which was a good thing, considering the Falcons shot less than 30 percent from the floor.
Air Force held Georgia Tech to a season-low 46 points and committed just six turnovers.
“There is more than one way to win,” Air Force senior Antoine Hood said. “Tonight we did not shoot well, but we came together defensively, and that helped us pull through.”
Hood’s eight points moved him into 15th place on Air Force’s all-time scoring list with 1,032, but he was quick to say 6-foot-10 junior John Frye deserved much of the credit for the victory over the Yellow Jackets.
Frye hit on all three of his 3-point attempts, including two in the second half that opened up six-point leads, and finished with a game-high 18 points.
Georgia Tech (5-4) took its biggest lead when Zam Fredrick’s jumper made the score 25-21 early in the second half. But the Falcons took the lead minutes later with a pair of Jacob Burtschi free throws, and Air Force never trailed again.
“The game was close. It could have gone either way,” Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt said. “In my mind this was one of those turning point games, and we lost. I’d be surprised if (Air Force) didn’t make it to the NCAA Tournament.”
Jeremis Smith led the Yellow Jackets with 12 points, and Ra’Sean Dickey finished with 11 points and nine rebounds.
Georgia Tech cut the Falcons’ lead to three after a pair of free throws by Smith with 2:16 to play, but Burtschi wiggled through the defense in the paint for a layup. Frye intercepted an errant pass at the other end and hit his free throws after being fouled to make the score 49-42 with 1:21 to play to clinch it.
“For the most part of the season, we shot the ball well,” Bzdelik said. “But we struggled. … That’s why you have to defend.”
GEORGIA TECH (5-4)
Smith 5-11 2-2 12, Tarver 0-1 0-0 0, West 2-4 1-3 5, Diaw 0-0 0-0 0, Morrow 4-8 0-0 10, Bell 1-4 0-0 2, Dickey 5-8 1-2 11, Fredrick II 3-5 0-0 6, Aminu 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 20-42 4-7 46.
AIR FORCE (11-1)
Burtschi 3-12 4-4 10, Nwaelele 1-10 5-6 8, Frye 4-5 7-8 18, McCraw 3-9 2-2 10, An. Hood 2-7 3-6 8, Henke 0-0 0-0 0, Anderson 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 13-44 21-26 54.
Halftime – Georgia Tech 23-21. 3-point goals – Georgia Tech 2-6 (Morrow 2-4, Smith 0-1, Fredrick II 0-1), Air Force 7-24 (Frye 3-3, McCraw 2-6, An. Hood 1-3, Nwaelele 1-7, Burtschi 0-5). Fouled out – None. Rebounds – Georgia Tech 35 (Dickey 9), Air Force 21 (Frye 6). Assists – Georgia Tech 6 (Fredrick II 4), Air Force 9 (An. Hood 5). Total fouls – Georgia Tech 20, Air Force 12. A – 4,311.
