Second-half struggles have been the tale too many times for Air Force this year, and that was once again the case against Colorado State on Saturday.

After at tie with the Rams at halftime, the Falcons faltered in the second half and lost 82-73.

“Playing 40 minutes (against them) kind of wore us down,” Air Force coach Joe Scott said. “Give them credit for that. You have to be able to handle that.”

The Falcons didn’t allow a “kill run” as they did in many previous games. Air Force coach Joe Scott calls kill runs stretches that turn close games into lopsided ones.

But the Rams did play significantly better basketball for the entire second half.

After Air Force shot 59% in the first half, the Falcons went cold. They shot 38% in the final 20 minutes and went 3-of-14 on 3-pointers.

“We’re getting shots at the basket, but we have too many possessions where we come out and we don’t have five guys on the same page, doing the same thing,” Scott said. “Advantage Colorado State.”

And as the Falcons’ offense fizzled, the Rams caught fire.

CSU shot 74% from the field in the second half and went 10-of-10 on field-goal attempts to end the game. Seven Rams scored in the second half, including Joel Scott, who notched 10 second-half points.

CSU senior guard Isaiah Stevens scored just seven points in the second half. But he paced the Rams’ offense in the first half with 22.

The Falcons zoned in on Stevens in the second half, and that opened up CSU’s offense.

“Stevens is a very good guard,” junior Beau Becker said. “His quickness and his handles (make him hard to stop), and he’s a good passer. He can do it all.”

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A sequence right before halftime may have set the tone for the Falcons’ second-half slump.

Air Force led 38-35 before Becker threw the ball down after a call, which he thought was incorrect. Becker got called for a technical foul. Scott argued it and also received a tech.

Between the common foul and the two techs, Colorado State got six free-throw chances in a row. The Rams made five.

“I don’t think either one was (correct) in my opinion,” Scott said. “The ball didn’t go flying in the air. All I was doing was sticking up for my junior. I don’t know why I got a technical foul.”

Stevens’ 29 points were a game-high, while Rytis Petraitis logged a career-high 29 points for Air Force. The sophomore shot 10-of-15 from the field and had eight rebounds.

Colorado State (22-9, 10-8 Mountain West) will be either the No. 6 or No. 7 seed in the Mountain West conference tournament, depending on results from Saturday’s other league games.

Air Force (9-21, 2-16) will be the No. 11 seed. The Falcons’ conference record is the same as San Jose State’s, but the Spartans hold the tiebreaker after sweeping Air Force in the regular season.

Despite winning only two conference games in the regular season, Scott is confident in the improvement of his team.

All three of the Falcons’ most recent losses have been decided by 12 points or fewer. Two of those came against the Rams and Utah State, both of which are ranked in the top 50 of the NET.

“Since New Mexico, I’ve liked our approach,” Scott said. “I like how we’ve gone about our business. I see a little bit tougher of a team, I see more of an understanding of what strength means. We’re definitely improving that way.”