Ice-cold Falcons fall to Pilots
BERKELEY, Calif. • You can’t say Air Force shot itself in the foot Saturday. It wasn’t that accurate.
Robin Smeulders scored on a three-point play with 33.1 seconds remaining and Portland rallied to beat Air Force 43-42 in the first round of the Golden Bear Classic.
Smeulders was 0 for 7 from the field until he scored inside and drew a foul against Mike McClain. He sank the go-ahead free throw to give the Pilots their first lead of the second half.
Air Force had two shots in the final 15 seconds, but couldn’t convert and had its five-game win streak snapped.
T.J. Campbell scored 10 points to pace Portland, which will play host California in the championship game today. Luke Sikma added seven points and a season-high 13 rebounds for the Pilots (7-5).
Grant Parker had 12 points to lead Air Force (8-3), which faces Dartmouth and Palmer graduate Elgin Fitzgerald today (Fitzgerald went scoreless as Cal won 98-62 Saturday). Andrew Henke and Anwar Johnson had 10 points apiece for the Falcons.
Air Force missed 11 of its first 14 shots, went 0 for 12 over the final 13:08 and made more free throws (18) than it did field goals (10). Portland wasn’t much better, going 6 for 25 with seven turnovers and only one basket in the final 7 minutes.
The Pilots held a one-point lead late before a pair of free throws from Henke gave the Falcons an 18-17 lead at halftime.
Air Force opened the second half with an 11-1 run to open a 29-18 lead before Portland inched its way back when the Falcons went through another scoring drought.
Sikma scored on an offensive rebound with 2:41 left to pull the Pilots within 42-40 before Smeulders’ three-point play put Portland ahead for good.
