TCU
Air Force
TCU Falls At No. 16 Air Force
1/23/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 23, 2007
AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AP) - Dan Nwaelele scored 13 points and the 16th-ranked Air Force Falcons used sharp shooting and a stifling defense to cruise past TCU 72-39 on Tuesday night for their 27th straight home win.
Matt McCraw and Tim Anderson each added 11 points for the Falcons (19-2, 6-1 Mountain West), who turned the tables on TCU, which brought the league's best field goal percentage defense (41 percent) into Clune Arena.
The Falcons shot 62 percent from the floor and 50 percent from beyond the arc.
It was the Horned Frogs (10-8, 2-4) who couldn't find an offensive rhythm, shooting 32 percent.
TCU got off to a slow start, making just one jumper, one layup and one free throw in the first 13 1/2 minutes and falling behind 19-6, an insurmountable deficit against the disciplined Falcons.
Air Force pushed its lead to 33-15 at halftime, closing with an impressive 8-0 run over the final three minutes, including 3-pointers from Anderson and John Frye, who picked up the slack with seven first-half points when starting center Nick Welch got into foul trouble and took a seat just 5 minutes in.
Air Force was coming off a season-low 39-percent shooting performance against San Diego State on Saturday but sank 60 percent of its shots in the tone-setting first half, when the Horned Frogs shot 26 percent.
It didn't stop there. Anwar Johnson's midcourt steal and breakaway jam highlighted a 10-2 spurt that made it 55-28 and Jacob Burtschi stole an inbound pass for an easy bucket in a 12-0 run that made it 67-32. By the time it was over, coach Jeff Bzdelik had used all 15 of his players, 11 of whom scored.
Brent Hackett's nine points led the Horned Frogs, who made just five baskets in the first half.
