AIR FORCE ACADEMY — D.J. Gay scored 15 points Saturday night to lead San Diego State to a 61-44 victory over Air Force at Clune Arena in the Mountain West Conference opener for both schools.
San Diego State improved to 11-3 overall, while Air Force fell to 9-5.
Gay hit two 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to key a 9-0 run midway through the second half to give San Diego State a 45-36 lead with 8:44 remaining. The Falcons had opened the second half on a 10-5 run to tie the score at 36.
San Diego State’s defense and rebounding took over the game from that point.
The Aztecs held Air Force to just one field goal over the last 8:16 of the game, while hitting 6-of-9 free throws. San Diego State grabbed the offensive rebound on each of the misses and scored on two of the possessions.
“They play awfully good defense. We knew that going in. We got some layups early in the second half and tied the score, but then had too many possessions without any points,” Air Force coach Jeff Reynolds said.
“Against a team as athletic as they are, you can’t do that and expect to win.”
The Aztecs finished the game outrebounding Air Force 40-27. SDSU grabbed 13 offensive rebounds while holding Air Force to just 32.0 percent shooting in the game, including just 23.1 in the second half. The Aztecs hit 45.7 percent in the game, including a 54.2 clip in the first half as they built a 31-26 halftime lead.
“(San Diego State) averages 31 missed shots a game and they missed that tonight,” Reynolds said. “They average 13 offensive rebounds a game and got that tonight. We talked about that and knew that if they do that, we’ll have a tough time winning the game.”
Lorenzo Wade came off the bench to score 12 points and grab 11 rebounds while Tim Shelton chipped in with eight points and 11 rebounds for San Diego State.
Air Force was led by Matt Holland, who was the only Falcon in double figures, with 17 points. Grant Parker added nine points and Anwar Johnson chipped in with six points and six rebounds.
SAN DIEGO STATE (11-3, 1-0)
Spain 1-4 0-0 3, Shelton 4-7 0-1 8, White 5-6 1-3 11, Williams 1-4 2-2 5, Gay 5-12 1-2 15, Horton 0-0 0-0 0, Thomas 0-1 0-0 0, Smith 1-1 0-0 3, Wade 2-5 7-9 12, Cheriet 1-4 0-0 2, Amoroso 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 21-46 11-17 61.
AIR FORCE (9-5, 0-1)
Henke 2-10 0-0 4, Holland 7-10 0-0 17, McLain 0-1 0-0 0, Washington 1-5 1-2 3, Johnson 2-9 2-3 6, Atkins 0-0 1-2 1, Stewart 1-3 0-0 3, Merriex 0-2 1-2 1, Parker 3-10 2-2 9. Totals 16-50 7-11 44.
Halftime — San Diego St. 31-26. 3-point goals — San Diego St. 8-21 (Gay 4-9, Smith 1-1, Wade 1-2, Spain 1-3, Williams 1-3, Shelton 0-1, Cheriet 0-2), Air Force 5-16 (Holland 3-5, Stewart 1-1, Parker 1-4, Merriex 0-1, Henke 0-5). Fouled Out — None. Rebounds — San Diego St. 40 (Shelton, Wade 11), Air Force 27 (Henke, Johnson 6). Assists — San Diego St. 16 (Wade 8), Air Force 7 (Washington 3). Total fouls — San Diego St. 14, Air Force 17. A — 2,564.
