Air Force Academy – It only seemed as if Jacob Burtschi played three games Wednesday night.
The junior forward was all over the court for the Air Force men’s basketball team, usually to the dismay of Colorado State. He was here for a steal, there for an assist, sometimes over there for a rebound, and shooting a 3-pointer or driving for a layup.
With Burtschi’s help, the Falcons stormed past the Rams 71-56 before 5,769 at Clune Arena. Burtschi contributed 21 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals. He shot 7-for-11 from the field and went 6-of-6 at the free-throw line for the Falcons, who are 12-0 at home this season and 38-1 over their past 39 home games.
“Jake’s a very tough cover,” Air Force coach Jeff Bzdelik said of his 6-foot-6, 225-pound player from Chickasha, Okla. “We said coming in that (the Rams) had two 7-footers and one was going to have to cover Jake. Run them, move them, drive them – that’s what you do against players who aren’t as mobile as you.”
Burtschi wasn’t CSU’s only problem. The Rams committed 15 turnovers and had only a 24-23 edge in rebounding despite 7-footers Jason Smith and Stuart Creason towering over the Falcons, who improved to 18-3 overall and 6-2 in the Mountain West Conference. Air Force guard Matt McCraw outhustled the Rams on the boards, particularly during the second half.
The Rams (12-9, 1-7) suffered their fifth consecutive loss and wasted Smith’s game-high 27 points and seven rebounds.
But even Smith seemed daunted at times by the whirlwind created by Burtschi, one of four Air Force starters who scored in double figures. Senior guard Antoine Hood scored 10 of his 15 points during the second half.
Burtschi said his big game “just worked out that way. I was getting inside down the lane, and thank goodness my layups were going in.”
Said Hood: “Jake had a mismatch, and when you have a mismatch like that, you have to exploit it.”
Smith said playing the Falcons at Clune Arena was a learning experience.
“We’re just a young team and we didn’t know how to take Air Force,” Smith said. “They’re really good at home. Most of our players haven’t played them here before, and that put us down a couple of notches.”
The Falcons scored the last 12 points of the first half to take a 37-28 halftime lead. The Rams never recovered.
CSU coach Dale Layer gave credit to Burtschi.
“He’s an aggressive player,” Layer said. “He’s an energetic player. He has some skills and he knows what he’s doing.”
COLORADO STATE (12-9, 1-7 MWC)
Smith 9-12 9-12 27, Harrison 0-1 0-0 0, Lewis 1-7 5-5 7, M. Morris 1-2 0-0 2, Gilling 4-8 0-0 11, Clark 0-0 0-0 0, S. Morris 1-2 0-0 3, Harris 0-0 0-0 0, Robinson 1-3 2-2 4, Patterson 0-1 0-0 0, Brown 0-3 0-0 0, Creason 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 18-40 16-19 56.
AIR FORCE (18-3, 6-2)
Burtschi 7-11 6-6 21, Nwaelele 4-7 4-4 14, Frye 0-0 0-0 0, McCraw 3-6 2-2 11, An. Hood 7-11 0-0 15, Henke 0-1 0-0 0, Anderson 1-3 0-0 2, Ad. Hood 0-0 0-1 0, Teets 0-0 3-4 3, Kenzik 1-3 0-0 2, Walker 0-0 0-0 0, Johnson 0-0 0-0 0, Maren 1-3 0-0 3. Totals 24-45 15-17 71.
Halftime – Air Force 37-28. 3-point goals – Colorado State 4-16 (Gilling 3-7, S. Morris 1-2, M. Morris 0-1, Brown 0-3, Lewis 0-3); Air Force 8-20 (McCraw 3-5, Nwaelele 2-4, Maren 1-2, Burtschi 1-3, An. Hood 1-4, Anderson 0-1, Henke 0-1). Fouled out – Lewis. Rebounds – Colorado State 24 (Smith 7); Air Force 23 (Burtschi 6). Assists – Colorado State 9 (Lewis 5); Air Force 14 (Burtschi 3, An. Hood 3, McCraw 3). Total fouls – Colorado State 19, Air Force 19. A – 5,769.
Staff writer Irv Moss can be reached at 303-820-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
