Air Force men’s basketball lost to New Mexico 91-49 in a Mountain West Conference game on Saturday at Clune Arena. The Falcons’ record fell to 3-13 overall and 0-5 in conference play, while New Mexico improved to 13-3 overall and 4-1 in the Mountain West.
Freshman guard Kam Sanders led Air Force with 13 points and added three rebounds. Forward Caleb Walker contributed 11 points—his fourth consecutive game scoring in double figures—and led the team with seven rebounds. Forward Kolby Gilles came off the bench to score six points on 3-for-4 shooting, and guard AJ Patterson led the Falcons in assists among reserves. Sophomore guard Elliott Taite scored his first career points late in the game.
New Mexico built an early lead after responding to Air Force’s opening five-point run with a 14-0 stretch. By halftime, the Lobos were ahead 45-22, fueled by seven made three-pointers and a significant advantage in points off turnovers (14-2). For the game, New Mexico converted 14 shots from beyond the arc and recorded 16 steals, which resulted in a 22-8 edge in points off turnovers.
Guard Jake Hall led four Lobos players scoring in double digits with 24 points and five three-pointers. Forward Tomislav Buljan secured a game-high of 14 rebounds for New Mexico.
The Falcons increased their scoring output slightly in the second half but could not close the gap.
Air Force is scheduled to play next at San Jose State on Tuesday, Jan. 13. The matchup will tip off at 7 p.m. PT and will be broadcast on NBC Sports Bay Area as well as streamed online via the MW Network.
“Sanders was 5 of 11 from the field, adding three rebounds.”
“Forward Caleb Walker reached double figures in scoring for the fourth straight game with 11 points for the Falcons. He also led the team with seven rebounds.”
“Forward Kolby Gilles led the reserves with six points on 3-for-4 shooting.”
“Guard AJ Patterson led the Falcons with assists off the bench.”
“Sophomore guard Elliott Taite scored his first-career points with a basket late in the game.”
