Air Force Academy – Jacob Burtschi scored 21 points and Air Force won its school record 25th game, a 83-52 blowout of Georgia in the second round of the NIT on Monday night.
The Falcons (25-8), whose NCAA bubble burst with four straight losses to end the season, surpassed last year’s win total in surprisingly easy fashion against a more athletic Bulldogs team that was bothered by both the altitude and Air Force’s relentless zone defense.
Air Force, the top seed in the West, advanced to the semifinals Wednesday night against the DePaul-Kansas State winner at Clune Arena, where the Falcons have won 56 of their last 58 games.
Burtschi added 10 rebounds and Dan Nwaelele scored 19 points for the Falcons.
Terrance Woodbury’s 16 points led the fourth-seeded Bulldogs (19-14), whose quest for their first 20-win season since 2002 ended.
Burtschi had 13 points and seven boards by halftime as the Falcons surged to a 43-24 lead, and he hit a 3-pointer to open the second half after Matt McCraw’s save and assist while falling out of bounds.
