Air Force men's basketball (7-4) rolled to an 80-55 win over Arkansas State (5-5) Friday night at Clune Arena. The Falcons shot a season-high 56 percent from the field to win its six straight at home.
Four Falcons reached double figures in scoring, led by Jake Heidbreder with 16 points. The sophomore was 5 of 9 from the field and 2 of 5 from three.
Joining Heidbreder in double figures were Corbin Green, Rytis Petraitis and Camden Vander Zwaag. Green notched 15 points, to go with three rebounds and two blocked shots. Petraitis led the Falcon bench with 11 points, adding a career-high five assists. Vander Zwaag chipped-in with 10 points with a pair of threes.
Guard Ethan Taylor had a season-high seven assists with zero turnovers in 32 minutes at the point. Jeff Mills added eight points and four assists.
It seemed like it was going to be a long game when Arkansas State jumped out to an 8-0 lead to start. After a timeout by head coach Joe Scott, Air Force responded immediately with its own 8-0 run to tie the game up by the first media break.
The Falcons would follow with 12-0 and 10-0 runs to lead ahead 44-27 at the half. Air Force shot a blistering 65.2 percent from the field in the opening half and 55 percent from three (6 of 11). The defense held the Red Wolves to 37 percent shooting in the opening half.
Arkansas State cut the lead down to 14 early in the second half, but the Falcons responded with a 12-3 run to get back up 25.
The Falcons also shot 45 percent from the field, making 11 of 23 from long range. The Falcons assisted on 19 of its 29 baskets and had just five turnovers, its fewest since 2019.
Guard Avery Felts led the Red Wolves with 14 points. Terrance Ford Jr. added 13 points. Arkansas State shot 39.6 percent from the field for the game and committed 16 turnovers.
Air Force is off from competiton for a week for finals, returning to action Sunday, Dec. 18, hosting Tarleton State. The game tips at 1:30 pm MT and will be broadcast on Altitude and streamed on the Mountain West Network.