GAME NOTES: The Air Force Falcons try to bring an end to a four-game slide on Saturday afternoon, as they entertain the Boise State Broncos in a Mountain West Conference showdown at Clune Arena.

Because the Falcons dropped six of the last seven outings, the team is next- to-last in the MWC standings, ahead of only San Jose State, which they defeated in a 78-56 final back on Jan. 7. The most recent outing for the Academy took place on Tuesday as it suffered its weakest offensive performance in a 77-45 loss versus San Diego State at home.

Boise State, which recently dealt with a four-game slide as well, is currently enjoying a three-game win streak. The team has taken down UNLV in overtime, handled New Mexico by double digits and blown away San Jose State (86-36) on Wednesday night at home in Taco Bell Arena.

The thrashing of the Spartans marked the eighth time in school history that BSU won by at least 50 points and was the largest margin of victory versus a Division I foe.

With a split of six conference outings, the Broncos are alone in seventh place in the MWC standings.

The Broncos lead the all-time series by a 4-3 margin, with all but one of those contests being played while the teams have been conference foes the last few years. The squads split the season series in 2013-14, with each winning on its home floor.

Against a depleted San Jose State roster, the Broncos left no doubt as they led by 28 points at the break and ended up allowing just 11 made field goals by the visitors, while forcing 20 turnovers in the contest overall. Derrick Marks tallied 19 points in 25 minutes, followed by Montigo Alford with 14 points off the bench as BSU shot 52.3 percent from the field and easily won the battle of the boards, 42-27.

Marks, who has started all 17 games in which he has appeared, continues to be the spark on offense for the Broncos with his 18.6 ppg, shooting a stellar 50.7 percent behind the 3-point line and also handing out 50 assists in order to balance the remaining production by active teammates. Unfortunately, the only other active double-digit scorer is James Webb III with an even 10.0 ppg. Sporting a team-best 6.9 rpg, Webb III has made it a habit of getting involved on the offensive glass and creating his own scoring opportunities with an average of close to two offensive boards per contest.

Without an injured Max Yon the Falcons were bound to struggle against San Diego State the last time out, but coming up 32-points short at home was really a bit more than expected. Air Force didn't have a single player score in double figures as the starting five combined to shoot only 7-of-26 from the floor and finish with a collective 16 points. DeLovell Earls was the high man with eight points in 22 minutes off the bench for a squad that shot only 3- of-18 behind the 3-point line.

Yon, who had scored in double figures in all but three of his appearances, has been absent from the lineup for the last three contests and doesn't appear to be coming back any time soon due a strained quadriceps and also a personal issue. With that being the case, the Falcons now are devoid of a single double-digit scorer on the active roster, with Marek Olesinski coming the closest with 9.0 ppg on 49.2 percent shooting from the field. In conference play his average has jumped to 11.1 ppg, but that's only because of the added responsibility left to him by Yon and Kamryn Williams (11,0 ppg), the latter missing the remainder of the season due to left Achilles surgery.

The Broncos have been bit by the injury bug, losing a top performer in Anthony Drmic, but they have a more sustained roster that can combat that loss more easily than what Air Force is going through right now. While the Falcons will certainly give it their all this weekend, the fact remains that they simply don't have the players to match up against Boise State.