Air Force Falcons Fall to San Jose State, Remain Winless in League Play

The Air Force Falcons men's basketball team fell short at home, giving the San Jose State Spartans their first conference win of the season.
Jan 11, 2025; Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA; Air Force Falcons guard Ethan Taylor (5) controls the ball against San Jose State Spartans guard Donavan Yap Jr. (0) as center Wesley Celichowski (51) screens in the second half at Clune Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
Jan 11, 2025; Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA; Air Force Falcons guard Ethan Taylor (5) controls the ball against San Jose State Spartans guard Donavan Yap Jr. (0) as center Wesley Celichowski (51) screens in the second half at Clune Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images / Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

The Air Force Falcons (3-13, 0-5) have yet to win a Mountain West matchup, and Saturday's game was no exception. San Jose State (8-10, 1-5) took to the road to capture their first conference win of the season, narrowly avoiding another conference loss in a 69-62 victory.

The Falcons were led in scoring by senior guard Ethan Taylor with 16 points, two rebounds, and six assists. Taylor was the only starting member of Air Force to put up double digit points, a significant contributing factor to the Falcons' loss. The team saw more help from the bench, as Air Force scored 30 points off the bench to San Jose State's six points.

Will Cooper led the Falcons off the bench with 10 points. He went 2-for-3 from behind the arc and 4-for-7 in field goals.

Will McClendon lead the Spartans with 20 points, followed closely by his teammate Josh Uduje with 15 points. Donovan Yap Jr. added 13 points.

Ultimately, the Falcons need to reinforce their offense in order to create more scoring possibilities in the paint, where they were outscored, 32-24. Evidence from Saturday's matchup might also suggest that the Falcons would benefit from opening up their bench to the court earlier in the game.

On the defensive end, Air Force fell short in rebounds, allowing for many second-chance points by the Spartans, who led in rebounding 34-28. After leading at the end of the first half, the Falcons were halfway home to a victory. But San Jose took them out with a second-half 11-0 scoring run.

That run would ultimately place the Spartans ahead, pushing them forward throughout the remainder of the second half.

Looking ahead, the Falcons will head out west to face the Nevada Wolf Pack (9-7, 1-4) on Tuesday. With its first conference win still waiting to be claimed, Air Force should look to capitalize on their next two games against the bottom portion of the Mountain West Conference.

After those two games, Air Force will be facing off against Utah State (16-1, 6-0). The Aggies are currently leading the Mountain West Conference with a perfect record. They are also ranked No. 25 nationally, which gives the Falcons a shot at a significant upset.


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