Aztecs continue their slump as Falcons soar on

By: MIKE SULLIVAN - Staff Writer | Saturday, January 31, 2004 10:47 PM PST ∞

SAN DIEGO ---- San Diego State had the same number of turnovers as baskets on Saturday night. That's the biggest reason why the Aztecs were no match for the Air Force Academy men's basketball team.

San Diego State had 19 of each in watching Air Force leave Cox Arena with a 57-43 win for the Falcons' 13th consecutive victory.

Saturday's victory could vault the Falcons into the top 25 for the first time in school history when Monday's Associated Press poll is released. The Falcons (15-2, 5-0) lead the Mountain West Conference by 1 1/2 games over Utah.

The Aztecs (11-9, 2-3) are going in the opposite direction after dropping their third straight.

"We were beaten tonight by a very good basketball team," Aztecs coach Steve Fisher said. "I think everybody knows that. They're probably better than most people think."

A season-high crowd of 11,027 attended the game. It was the fifth most to attend an Aztecs home game in Cox Arena and the program's seventh-largest home crowd ever.

What the large gathering saw was Air Force's disciplined system run to near-perfection. The Falcons entered the game as the nation's leader in defense, allowing 47.1 points per game. They held the Aztecs to a season-low point total. SDSU's previous low was 65.

"Playing against them, possessions are key to get as many shots as possible," Aztecs center Aerick Sanders said. "Unless you're playing lights-out defense, it's going to be hard to stay in the game with Air Force the way they use the clock and manage the ball."

Sanders and Brandon Heath scored a combined four points Saturday. Sanders was 2-of-6 from the field, and Heath missed all three of his field-goal attempts.

The duo entered the game averaging a combined 34.1 points.

"I knew all week the game was going to be like this," Heath said. "The older guys were telling me that instead of getting 14 shots, I'd get about four.

"I dread playing games like this. I'd rather play an up-and-down tempo. We just have to be ready to play when the game's going like this."

The Falcons were 11 of 26 from 3-point range. Antoine Hood led a balanced Air Force attack with 15 points.

The Aztecs trailed 24-20 at halftime, but three straight baskets at the outset of the second half by freshman forward Marcus Slaughter gave SDSU a 26-24 advantage.

The momentum would be short-lived. The Aztecs scored just nine points over the next 12 1/2 minutes and found themselves trailing by eight.

The closest the Aztecs got in the final 6 1/2 minutes was 47-42 after Slaughter's basket and free throw with 3:29 to play.

The Falcons outscored the Aztecs 10-1 the rest of the game.

"Each time they wanted to take control and defend their home court, we took control and pulled away, especially at the end," Air Force coach Joe Scott said.

Wesley Stokes (12 points) and Slaughter (11 points) were the only Aztecs to score in double figures. Stokes was held out of the starting lineup for missing a weightlifting session a few days before the game. He entered with the game nearly five minutes old and played the remainder of the contest.

The Aztecs will attempt to end their losing skid when they host New Mexico (11-7, 2-3) on Monday night.

Contact staff writer Mike Sullivan at (760) 739-6645 or msullivan@nctimes.com.