Air Force men’s basketball lost to Fresno State 93-63 on Saturday at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California. The Falcons, now 3-22 overall and 0-14 in Mountain West play, struggled early as Fresno State scored the first 11 points of the game and forced 11 turnovers in the opening half. The Bulldogs capitalized on these mistakes with a 19-0 advantage in points off turnovers before halftime.
Fresno State also made frequent trips to the free throw line during the first half, shooting 19 times and building a 45-33 lead at halftime. Air Force managed a late surge with a 9-3 run before the break, helped by freshman forward Lucas Hobin who scored 17 of his team-high 26 points in the first half. The Falcons were perfect from the free throw line in that period, making all seven attempts.
In the second half, Fresno State maintained control by shooting 60 percent from the field and finished at 55 percent for the game. DeShawn Gory and Wilson Jacques each scored 18 points to lead four Bulldogs players in double figures.
Hobin set a new Air Force program record for three-pointers made by a freshman in a season with his five three-pointers against Fresno State, bringing his total to 58 and surpassing Zach Kocur’s previous record of 57 set in 2015. “He now has 58 three’s on the season, setting a new program record for three’s by a freshman,” according to Air Force athletics.
Freshmen Kam Sanders and Riley Dering also reached double figures for Air Force. Sanders recorded his first career double-double with 10 points and a career-high 11 assists, becoming the first Falcon since Trevor Lyons in 2018 to achieve this combination. Dering contributed off the bench with 13 points—including two consecutive dunks—and five rebounds.
Junior Caleb Walker led Air Force with eight rebounds.
The Falcons will next play New Mexico on Tuesday, February 17 at The Pit in Albuquerque. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. MT tip-off and will be televised by Altitude as well as streamed on the MW Network.
