San Diego State’s Confidence Dealt Another Blow by Air Force

For San Diego State, the cycle is getting frustrating.

Lose a game, and the confidence sinks. Lose another, and it drops even farther.

The Aztecs had their fifth straight loss--third straight in the Western Athletic Conference--Thursday night losings to the Air Force Academy, 86-75, in front of 500.

Air Force (1-0, 8-3) had never won its WAC opener since joining the conference eight years ago.

SDSU is 2-11 overall.

The Aztecs, winless on the road, face Colorado State in Fort Collins Saturday night, and must do so without point guard Tracy Dildy, who is sick and did not make this four-game trip.

Aztec Coach Smokey Gaines said he could almost see this one coming.

“Reggie (Minton, Air Force coach) has them playing good,” Gaines said.

“We’re just playing bad. You’ve got to have self-confidence. That’s the key to winning. It becomes a habit when you win; it becomes a habit when you lose.

“We got pounded on the boards (Air Force outrebounded the Aztecs, 50-36). It’s always tough to play in the thin air here. It’s not an easy place to play, and we know it.

“We’ve got some new faces here. The second time around, it might be different.”

The best newcomer Thursday was freshman guard Tony Ross, who made 6 of 12 three-point shots en route to a team-high 22 points.

The rest of the night belonged to Air Force guard Mike Hammond and his teammates, especially in the second half.

Hammond, a 6-foot 2-inch senior from Columbia, Md., scored 21 of his game-high 26 points after halftime as the Falcons broke from a 34-29 lead.

The Aztecs had trimmed the margin to 61-57 early in the second half when they went cold. SDSU suffered through a scoreless spell of 2:42, and Air Force scored 10 straight points.

The Aztecs rallied briefly as Ross took charge both inside and outside, and they trimmed the margin to 71-66 with 3:40 to play.

But SDSU didn’t score again until 55 seconds remained, and by then, Air Force had its biggest lead, 81-66.

The Aztecs, who hit only 39% from the field (28 of 72), managed just three field goals in the final 3:40.