National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Colorado 75, Air Force 68
When: 9:00 PM ET, Monday, December 19, 2016
Where: Clune Arena, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Officials: # Verne Harris, # Keith Kimbell, # Tim O'Brien
Attendance: 3530

Xavier Johnson posted 14 points and six rebounds to help Colorado beat Air Force 75-68 on Monday night at Clune Arena in Colorado Springs, Colo.

George King had 13 points and nine rebounds for Colorado (9-3), which has won four of its last five games. Derrick White scored 12 points, Wesley Gordon had 10 points, nine rebounds and five blocked shots, and Deleon Brown also had 10 points.

C.J. Siples scored 15 points for Air Force (6-6), which has lost three in a row. Hayden Graham had 12 points and nine rebounds. Zach Kocur also scored 12 points.

The teams exchanged the lead a number of times throughout the first half. Air Force took a 10-5 lead on a 3-pointer by Frank Toohey. Colorado mounted a 10-0 run to take a 20-15 lead after back-to-back 3-pointers by King and White.

Air Force battled back to get within one on a couple of occasions in the final minutes of the first half. A 3-pointer by Dominique Collier and a jumper by King sent the Buffaloes into the break with a 27-21 advantage.

Colorado went up by eight early in the second half, but Air Force staged a 14-3 run to take a 35-32 lead after a 3-pointer by Kocur and two free throws by Lavelle Scottie.

The Buffaloes reclaimed the lead on a layup by Johnson and went up 40-35 on a three-point play by White.

Air Force tied the score four times during a span of about two minutes midway through the second half, but White, Johnson and Brown made 3-pointers to fuel a 14-6 run that helped Colorado take control.

Colorado shot 54 percent from the field and made 10 of 24 from 3-point range. Air Force shot 36.1 percent.

Collier, who returned from a nine-game injury absence, came off the bench to score nine points for the Buffaloes.
Top Game Performances
 
Colorado   Air Force
Xavier Johnson 14 Scoring CJ Siples 15
Deleon Brown 4 Assists Jacob Van 3
Wesley Gordon 9 Rebounds Hayden Graham 9
Deleon Brown 3 Free Throws Made Hayden Graham 4
Deleon Brown 1 Steals CJ Siples 2
Wesley Gordon 5 Blocks Dane Norman 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Colorado 75 54.0 10-24 11-22 18 30 7 3 16
Air Force 68 36.1 8-26 16-20 14 36 2 7 11