SANTA CLARA, Calif., Dec. 30 (UPI) -- Jacob Burtschi's 16 points led five teammates in double figures as Air Force beat host Santa Clara, 78-48, for the Cable Car Classic championship.
Burtschi hit four three-pointers and had five assists for the No. 23 Falcons (13-1) Friday night. Matt McGraw, Andrew Henke and Nick Welch all had 13 points in Air Force's ninth straight win since its lone loss to Duke. Dan Nwaelele added 12 points and seven assists.
John Bryant was the lone Santa Clara player in double figures with 10 points. Josh Higgins had eight points and seven boards. Sean Denison had six for the Broncos (10-5), who had a two-game winning streak snapped, losing for the second time in seven games.
Air Force opened the game with two three-pointers and led 11-5 before an 8-0 run upped its lead to 19-5.Henke scored five straight points, pushing the Falcons' lead to 27-10 with 8:50 in the first half.
The Falcons had a 48-21 edge at halftime.
In the second half, the Falcons led by as many as 34 at 63-29 on a layup by Nwaelele with 13 minutes to play.
