Utah State Dominates Air Force Falcons, Extending Conference Drought

The Air Force Falcons (3-17, 0-9) dropped another Mountain West Conference game, this time to the Utah State Aggies (18-2, 8-1) on Saturday afternoon. USU will head back to Logan coming off a 87-58 road win.
Air Force hosted Utah State in an attempt to secure their first conference win following a tough overtime loss to San Diego State, their closest chance at a conference win this season. However, the Falcons struggled to keep up with USU's aggressive three-point game. Early in the second half, the Aggies were shooting 12 for 23 behind the arc; the factor that edged Air Force out of a win.
Utah State ended the game with 16 successfully made three's for 51.6 percent on the night.
The Falcons kept the game interesting though, closing the gap to within single digits of the Aggies on multiple occasions.
Senior guard Ethan Taylor delivered momentum-shifting assists throughout the game while maintaining his strong scoring performance for the Falcons. He put up 18 points and six rebounds to round out the evening. Taylor was followed by his teammates Kyle Marshall and Luke Kearney (each with nine points) to lead the scoring front for the Academy.
Air Force appeared to have more control offensively as they entered the second half, setting up strong perimeter plays and minimizing turnovers. Despite this control, the Aggies were able to score 26 points off of Falcon TO's, shifting the pace of the game halfway through the second half.
The Aggies came into this game sitting at No. 2 in the Mountain West, a factor that was not taken lightly by Air Force. The Falcons had little room for error just to keep up with the Aggies' pace on the court.
Ian Martinez led USU in scoring with 16 points, making a lasting impression on the floor, while his teammates Mason Falslev and Tucker Anderson each had double-digit scoring nights.
Slowly, Air Force lost its grip on the game, sinking further behind Utah State by as many as 29 points. It was a truly valiant effort by the Falcons, especially considering the dominant team coming out of Logan this season.
Air Force will look ahead to a state rivarly matchup against Colorado State on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025. After the result of Saturday's game, the Falcons will now be working to snap a 10-game losing streak.