Utah rallied to a 40-38 lead with 10:05 to go, but falls short 62-49.
AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AP) - A.J. Kuhle scored 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting Monday to lead Air Force to a 62-49 win over Utah, keeping the Falcons atop the Mountain West Conference.
Air Force (14-2, 4-0 MWC) won its 12th consecutive game, while Utah (15-5, 3-2 MWC) lost its second straight conference contest.
Air Force won the battle between the nation's top two scoring defenses, forcing 20 turnovers while committing only nine.
After trailing 29-24 at the half, Utah rallied to a 40-38 lead with 10:05 to play on a 3-pointer by Richard Chaney. A layup by Tim Keller (16 points) gave the Falcons the lead back for good with 8:13 left.
Two free throws by Chaney pulled the Utes to within three (49-46) with 4:22 left, but a layup by Joel Gerlach on the following possession put Air Force up 51-46. After going 0-for-3 from the field in the first half, Gerhlach responded with six points at critical points in the second half.
The Utes outshot the Falcons, 55.3 percent to 51.4 percent, but the Air
Force defense prevailed. The Falcons held Utah's Nick Jacobson to 10 points on
4-of-11 shooting.
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