Air Force routs Portland 80-58 on road for sixth straight win
Air Force extended its winning streak to six games on Sunday and did so handily.
The Falcons (7-2) beat Portland 80-58 on the road. Their road win is their second win in a row away from home after they beat South Dakota last Sunday.
Early on, it was a close game. The Falcons went to halftime leading 37-33 before Portland scored the first five points of the second half to take the lead.
That lead, though, was Portland’s last.
Air Force took control of the game and pulled away from the Pilots. The Falcons went on an 11-0 run to end the game and seal their 22-point win.
The duo of Ethan Taylor and Rytis Petraitis carried Air Force’s offense.
Petraitis, playing in his second game of the 2023-24 season, posted a team-high 20 points. Taylor scored 16 on 6-of-10 shooting.
Nine different Falcons scored in Sunday’s game and five (Petraitis, Taylor, Kellan Boylan, Beau Becker and Jeffrey Mills) each reached double figures. Air Force shot 54% as a team, well above Portland’s 42% clip from the field.
After back-to-back games on the road, Air Force returns to Clune Arena on Saturday to host Eastern Washington. The Falcons have only three non-conference games remaining before Mountain West play begins.
Air Force guard Kellan Boylan cheers as he walks to his teammates after a Nov. 19 win.