Air Force men’s basketball lost to Colorado State 91-74 in a Mountain West Conference game on Tuesday night at Clune Arena. The Falcons, now 3-21 overall and 0-13 in conference play, were led by freshmen Lucas Hobin and Kam Sanders, who each scored 17 points.
Air Force had one of its strongest shooting performances this season, making 55.3 percent of its field goals and hitting a season-best 57 percent from three-point range with 12 made threes. Despite these numbers, Colorado State also shot well, finishing at 55 percent from the field and making 14 three-pointers.
A key difference in the game was free throws. Colorado State attempted 36 free throws and converted 29, while Air Force made just 10. In the first half, Air Force shot nearly 69 percent from the field and made six of seven three-point attempts but still trailed at halftime as Colorado State went nine-for-nine on threes and was perfect on fourteen free throw attempts.
In the second half, Air Force continued to score from long range but could not close the gap as Colorado State maintained their shooting pace.
Kam Sanders was efficient for Air Force, making five of seven shots from the floor, all three of his three-point attempts, and four free throws. He also led the team with six assists. Lucas Hobin hit five threes to bring his season total to 53—becoming only the second freshman in program history to surpass fifty made threes.
Freshman Ethan Greenberg added ten points for Air Force with two three-pointers; it was his fourth double-digit scoring effort this year. Sophomore Eli Robinson led with eight rebounds along with eight points. Junior Caleb Walker returned after missing six games due to injury and contributed nine points off the bench plus seven rebounds. Freshman Riley Dering added four points, four rebounds, and two blocks coming off the bench.
The Falcons recorded nineteen assists— their highest total in a conference game this season.
Colorado State had five players score in double figures, led by Brandon Rechsteiner’s fourteen points. Five Rams players hit multiple threes during the contest.
Air Force will next play Fresno State on Saturday, February 14 at Save Mart Center; tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. PT with streaming available via MW Network.
