Air Force men’s basketball lost to San Jose State 70-62 on Tuesday night at the Provident Credit Union Event Center in Mountain West Conference play. The Falcons, now 3-14 overall and 0-6 in conference, were led by freshman forward Lucas Hobin, who scored 16 points.
The game remained close for much of the night, but Air Force was unable to make enough defensive stops late in the contest. San Jose State built a 10-point lead with just under ten minutes remaining. Air Force responded with a 9-4 run that cut the deficit to three points with seven minutes left.
With five minutes to play, Air Force trailed by five and gained possession after a shot-clock violation by San Jose State. After drawing an offensive foul on the next play, the Falcons saw San Jose State hit consecutive three-pointers to restore a double-digit lead. Despite narrowing the gap to four points in the final minute, Air Force could not complete the comeback.
The Falcons struggled offensively in the first half, shooting just 26 percent from the field and trailing 27-21 at halftime. Their offense improved after halftime as they shot 63 percent from the field and made five of ten three-point attempts.
Freshmen Hobin, Kam Sanders, and Ethan Greenberg combined for 40 points. Hobin scored all his points in the second half and made three three-pointers. Sanders contributed six rebounds, five assists, and eleven points. Greenberg added thirteen points and two steals.
San Jose State had four players score in double figures. Guard Ben Roseborough led all scorers with nineteen points while guard Pasha Goodarzi added eighteen points including four three-pointers.
Overall, Air Force shot 45 percent from the field and made eight three-pointers while hitting eighty percent of their free throws—their second-best performance from the line this season.
Air Force will next host Nevada on Saturday, January 17 at 2 p.m. PT. The game will be televised on Altitude and streamed via MW Network.
