LAS VEGAS _ Maybe when you're 29-1 and you're No. 5 in both major polls and you go 9-0 on the road in arguably the nation's toughest travel conference and you win it by a record five games, you need supplemental motivation.
Tipping off at 0-0 isn't enough.
So you sleep through the first half, let your opponent torch your vaunted defense, spot the ninth-place team a halftime lead and trail by eight early in the second half against a program that was 0-16 in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament.
And THEN you decide to start playing.
San Diego State did that Thursday, beating Air Force 73-60 to advance to the Mountain West Tournament semifinals after following the exact script that got the Aztecs their only loss of the season and nearly a couple more after that. After tempting fate.
It was the fourth straight game an Aztecs team ranked seventh nationally in defensive efficiency allowed its opponent to shot 50% or better in the first half. It was also the fourth straight time they've trailed early in the second half _ by 14 against UNLV, by four against Colorado State, by 13 against Nevada, by eight against Air Force.
And the third straight time they've come back to win.
They hoped for a shot at avenging the one time they didn't, but UNLV lost to Boise State 67-61 in the day's second quarterfinal. The Aztecs will play Boise State _ a team they beat twice in the regular season _ at 6 p.m. Friday.
This edition of playing with matches ended with a 21-3 run midway through the second half that featured the Falcons, so torrid in the first half, clanking 11 straight shot attempts and going more than 10 minutes without a basket.
Unlike Saturday, the Aztecs didn't get a career game from Malachi Flynn, although his "off" days are still pretty good. On Thursday that was 16 points (13 in the second half), seven rebounds, eight assists and three turnovers with numerous NBA scouts here to see him.
Yanni Wetzell returned to the aggressive, spinning, dominant post player that was largely absent for the past three games, finishing with 16 points on 8 of 11 shooting. Jordan Schakel had a team-high 17 points after opening 1 of 5 beyond the arc and making his next four.
The tale of two halves for the Falcons (12-20): 60-percent shooting (15 of 25) and 37 points in the first, 27.3% (6 of 22) and 23 points in the second.
The big tactical dilemma for SDSU was how to defend them. In their only meeting this season, an 89-74 win at Clune Arena on Feb. 8, the Aztecs played a 2-3 zone for the first time in who knows how long instead of prepping for Air Force's Princeton-style man offense with its array of back cuts and high post rubs.
It didn't work, and they reverted to man-to-man midway through the second half. That didn't fare much better _ the 74 points are the second most they've allowed all season _ but they used a late surge to put the Falcons in their rear-view mirror.
This time, they tried a switching man defense with the idea of eliminating the back cuts and dribble penetration. On the first possession, the 6-foot-1, 185-pound Flynn switched onto 6-8, 240-pound Ryan Swan in the low block. A couple possessions later, the 6-10 Wetzell was suddenly on the perimeter guarding 6-2 AJ Walker.
The Falcons didn't get backdoor layups or many drive-and-dish opportunities. But they exploited the 1-5 (point guard and center) switch on the ball screen at the top of the key.
They opened the game a blistering 11 of 15 overall and 5 of 7 beyond the arc. They cooled off slightly before halftime but still led 37-33.
That meant one of two streaks would end. Air Force entered the day 0-16 in Mountain West quarterfinals ... and was 10-0 this season when leading at the half.
The Aztecs made some halftime adjustments and switched fewer screens. And promptly got backdoored on the first three possessions as the margin grew to eight (and Matt Mitchell was subbed out for defensive gaffes).
But the switch _ no pun intended _ finally clicked, they got some stops and they cranked up the offensive efficiency with baskets on five of six possessions.
That, and the Falcons got tired from a tight, emotional win less than 24 hours earlier against Fresno State, a team that had swept them in the regular season.
A Schakel 3 gave the Aztecs their first lead since the opening minute, and no amount of momentum-killing timeouts by Air Force coach Dave Pilipovich could stop the surge.
