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SDSU overcomes slow start to beat Air Force

Jan 20, 2011 - 7:02 AM San Diego, CA (Sports Network) - D.J. Gay drained six three-pointers en route to a 20-point effort, and No. 6 San Diego State shook off a slow start to stay unbeaten with a 68-55 victory over Air Force.

Billy White chipped in 12 points for the Aztecs (20-0, 5-0 MWC), who ran the nation's longest winning streak to 20 games despite allowing the Falcons to hit 51 percent from the floor.

Kawhi Leonard and Malcolm Thomas combined for 18 points and 19 rebounds for a SDSU frontcourt that owned the glass by a 34-20 margin.

Tom Fow paced Air Force (10-7, 1-3) with 21 points, but it wasn't enough to snap a two-game slide.

Coming off a big win at New Mexico on Saturday and possible looking ahead to its game at nationally-ranked BYU next week, the Aztecs found themselves down 30-25 after a Zach Bohannon layup.

Gay, though, hit a three-ball and the hosts scored nine points over the final two minutes of the opening half to go on top, 34-30.

"We broke loose a little bit towards the end of the first half and we had a great run to end the half. It sparked a high energy for the team and just carried over into the second half," Gay said.

Air Force stayed close over the first seven minutes of the second stanza, but another 8-0 run by San Diego State made it a 48-38 game on Brian Carlwell's drunk with under 12 minutes remaining.

Fow and Derek Brooks each hit from behind the arc to pull the Falcons within four, only to have the Aztecs outscored them 10-1 over the next four minutes.

White's free throw yielded a 58-45 advantage near the five-minute mark, and it remained a double-digit affair from there.

"We could not handle the pressure in the second half," Air Force head coach Jeff Reynolds said. "Our guards were not able to get the ball across the court, and we let them get too many points off of second shots."

Game Notes

SDSU has won 14 straight at home and 29 games in a row against unranked opponents...The Aztecs, who shot 11-of-26 from three-point range, have won six straight in the series...SDSU scored 24 points off 13 Air Force turnovers...Air Force hosts Wyoming on Saturday.