Air Force men’s basketball lost to Grand Canyon University 86-60 on Tuesday night at Clune Arena in a Mountain West matchup. The Falcons, now 3-27 overall and 0-19 in conference play, were led by freshman guard Kam Sanders who scored 18 points and set a new Air Force record for points by a freshman in a season.
Grand Canyon shot 56 percent from the field and made nine three-pointers during the game. Five players from Grand Canyon reached double figures in scoring, with Jaden Henly leading the team with 17 points.
The Lopes opened the game with a strong start, going up 17-2 early. They maintained control throughout, shooting 59 percent in the first half and taking a 43-24 lead into halftime.
Air Force managed to score 36 points in the second half after being limited to just 24 before the break.
Sanders’ performance brought his season total to 374 points, breaking the previous Air Force freshman scoring record of 368 set by Raymond Dudley in 1987. Sanders also led the Falcons with five assists and went six-for-eight from the free throw line.
Freshman Lucas Hobin contributed 11 points for Air Force and made all six of his free throws, extending his consecutive free throws made streak to 23. Hobin and sophomore Eli Robinson both grabbed six rebounds to tie for the team lead. Junior Wesley Celichowski added four assists.
Air Force attempted 26 free throws during the game, making 18. This was their highest total in a Mountain West contest this season and their most since converting on 19 against Pacific.
The Falcons will conclude their regular season on Saturday, March 7 at Nevada. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. PT tip-off and will be televised by NSN as well as streamed on the MW Network.
