By james art 
The Air Force Falcons (3-17, 0-9) dropped another Mountain West Conference game, this time against the Utah State Aggies (18-2, 8-1) on Saturday afternoon. USU will return to Logan after an 87-58 road win.
Air Force hosted Utah State in an attempt to secure their first conference win after a tough overtime loss at 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 shot 12 for 23 from behind the arc; the factor that took Air Force out of victory.
Utah State finished the game with 16 three-pointers for 51.6 percent on the night.
However, the Falcons kept the game interesting, closing the gap to single digits on the Aggies on several occasions.
Senior guard Ethan Taylor had momentum-changing assists throughout the game while maintaining a strong performance for the Falcons. He had 18 points and six rebounds to finish the night. Taylor was followed by teammates Kyle Marshall and Luke Kearney (each with nine points) to lead the scoring for the Academy.
Air Force seemed to be in more control offensively as they entered the second half, creating strong plays on the perimeter and minimizing turnovers. Despite that control, the Aggies were able to score 26 points off Falcon TO, changing the tempo of the game midway through the second half.
The Aggies entered this game ranked No. 2 in the Mountain West, a factor not taken lightly by Air Force. The Falcons had little room for error just to keep the Aggies’ pace down the court.
Ian Martinez led USU with 16 points, making a lasting impression on the court, while teammates Mason Falslev and Tucker Anderson both had double-digit scoring nights.
Air Force slowly lost its grip on the game, sinking even 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 have an in-state game against Colorado State on Tuesday, January 28, 2025. After the result of Saturday’s game, the Falcons will now work to snap a 10-game losing streak.