Air Force Academy – Some things go with the territory when you’ve won 14 games, lost only two and are near the top of the standings in the conference race.
Air Force found the territory a little rough Saturday against Texas Christian, but the Falcons showed why they are in such an envious position, winning 75-49 and posting their most convincing victory in the unfolding Mountain West Conference race.
The Falcons shook off a 21-20 deficit with 6:18 left in the first half at Clune Arena to win convincingly, getting their 15th victory and moving to 3-1 in conference play.
Still smarting from a 55-50 loss three days earlier at Wyoming when the Cowboys had a 41-18 advantage in rebounding, the Falcons outrebounded the Horned Frogs 28-20 and held a 15-7 edge in assists.
There was little question that junior forward Jacob Burtschi was the catalyst, with a double-double of 14 points and 13 rebounds, as well as tying for a team high in assists with four. Burtschi was among five Falcons players to score in double figures.
“Anytime you’re a team at the top end of the conference, you want to be the team that knocks them off,” Burtschi said. “TCU almost knocked off New Mexico, so they knew they could come into Clune Arena and maybe do the same thing. We know that every team is going to bring their best at us.”
Air Force coach Jeff Bzdelik lauded his team’s approach to the matchup.
“I want my players to respect the game so much that they know if you don’t bring your very best game you’ll get beat,” Bzdelik said.
TCU’s best try at playing spoiler was foiled by Air Force’s specialty, its 3-point shooting. The Falcons hit a season-best 54.5 percent from long range, with Matt McCraw’s 3-for-4 leading the way.
McCraw returned to the game after turning his ankle midway through the first half and turned in a gutsy performance. His 3-point shooting provided a lift as the Falcons took over in the last 5:36 of the first half.
“You can talk about how tough these players are,” Bzdelik said. “I’ve seen some players who might have been out for two weeks.”
Two free throws by Dan Nwaelele got the Falcons a lead they never relinquished. But it was McCraw’s 3-pointers sandwiched around a pair of free throws by Antoine Hood that provided the cushion Air Force couldn’t muster in the loss to Wyoming. Against the Cowboys, the Falcons shot a season-low 26.3 percent from 3-point range.
“They made some timely shots,” TCU coach Neil Dougherty said. “They’ve done that all year long. It’s just part of their execution.”
Nile Murry, TCU’s leading scorer who is averaging 16.4 points, finished with two points.
The Falcons had two critical runs, a 14-3 charge at the end of the first half and a 15-8 run at the beginning of the second.
TCU (4-13, 0-3 MWC)
Stubbs 2-2 5-5 9, Chinweze 2-7 2-6 6, Hackett 3-10 0-0 8, Murry 0-5 2-2 2, Owens 1-5 5-6 7, Masters III 1-2 0-0 3, Ibikunle 1-1 1-4 3, Dougherty Jr. 0-1 1-2 1, Markley 0-0 0-0 0, Adams 2-4 0-0 6, Staky 0-0 0-0 0, Pierce 1-1 1-2 3, Taylor 0-1 1-2 1. Totals 13-39 18-29 49.
AIR FORCE (15-2, 3-1)
Burtschi 5-6 2-3 14, Nwaelele 3-8 3-3 11, Frye 1-1 0-0 2, McCraw 3-4 2-2 11, An. Hood 3-5 6-6 13, Henke 1-1 0-0 3, Anderson 3-8 6-6 15, Ad. Hood 0-1 0-0 0, Myers 0-0 0-0 0, Teets 1-1 1-2 3, Kenzik 0-0 1-2 1, Walker 0-0 0-0 0, Johnson 1-1 0-2 2. Totals 21-36 21-26 75.
Halftime – Air Force 34-23. 3-point goals – TCU 5-17 (Adams 2-3, Hackett 2-7, Masters III 1-1, Dougherty Jr. 0-1, Owens 0-2, Murry 0-3), Air Force 12-22 (McCraw 3-4, Anderson 3-6, Burtschi 2-3, Nwaelele 2-6, Henke 1-1, An. Hood 1-2). Fouled out – None. Rebounds – TCU 20 (Owens, Stubbs 4), Air Force 28 (Burtschi 13). Assists – TCU 7 (Murry 3), Air Force 15 (Burtschi, An. Hood 4). Total fouls – TCU 24, Air Force 21. A – 4,541.
Irv Moss can be reached at 303-820-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
