Air Force Downs Colorado State, 67-58

Nwaelele fights off injury to score 18 points as Falcons outlast Rams.

Dan Nwaelele drives to the hoop during the first half.
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Feb. 17, 2007

Stats

AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AP) - Dan Nwaelele returned from a first-half ankle injury to score 18 points and lead 17th-ranked Air Force past Colorado State 67-58 Saturday, extending the nation's longest home court winning streak to 30.

Matt McCraw added 15 points for the Falcons (23-4, 10-3 Mountain West), who surrendered 22 points to Jason Smith yet managed to negate some of the Rams' height advantage by forcing fellow 7-footer Stuart Creason into early foul trouble.

Creason scored just two points before fouling out with more than seven minutes remaining.

The Rams chipped away at their 15-point, second-half deficit and pulled to 59-52 on Smith's jumper with 3:38 left, but Smith's offensive foul negated another basket 30 seconds later and Nwaelele sank his fifth 3-pointer to make it 64-52.

Colorado State wasn't done, pulling to 65-58 on Tyler Smith's 3-pointer with 43 seconds left, but the Rams burned 14 seconds before fouling Nick Welch, who sank one of two.

Tim Anderson and Jacob Burtschi added 10 points each for the Falcons.