GAME NOTES: Air Force shoots for a fourth straight win on Saturday afternoon, as the Falcons host the UC Davis Aggies in non-conference play at Clune Arena.

Since losing back-to-back decisions against Colorado and Texas Tech on the road during the last week of November, the Falcons have bounced back to take down a trio of opponents, albeit some not-so-tough ones. Following up victories over Grambling (59-34) and Nebraska-Omaha (77-61), the Academy demolished Arkansas-Pine Bluff last weekend at home, 80-47.

After this meeting with UC Davis, the Falcons have one more game on their five-game homestand versus Jacksonville State on Monday, before taking a break for the holidays.

The Aggies are off to an impressive 7-1 start to the 2014-15 campaign, but like the Falcons recently, the competition hasn't exactly been top-notch. After starting out the season with six straight wins, the team faced Idaho on the road and found a 79-71 loss two weeks ago. After that, UC Davis responded with an 80-70 win over Eastern Illinois three days later, the last time the team took the floor.

The series between these teams is tied at one game apiece, with the Aggies winning the most recent meeting last year at this time by a score of 80-74 at home.

The Aggies went from shooting 52.4 percent from the field in the first half against EIU to a more impressive 63.6 percent after intermission, yet the hosts won by just 10 points due in part to the fact that they turned the ball over 16 times.

Corey Hawkins tallied 19 points and six assists for the Aggies, followed by J.T. Adenrele and Josh Ritchart with 17 and 11 points, respectively, as the squad made good on 7-of-14 shots from behind the 3-point line and 23-of-28 at the charity stripe.

Hawkins, who has scored in double figures in every game this season, is responsible for 20.1 ppg as he shoots even better beyond the arc (.542) than he does the floor overall (.525). But more than just a scoring threat, Hawkins has also pulled down 4.5 rpg and is first on the unit with 27 assists and 16 steals over eight outings.

The non-conference schedule has been quite kind to the Falcons, allowing them to boost their stats at both ends of the floor. The team shot a sizzling 60.5 percent from the field against the Golden Lions, including 11-of-21 (.524) beyond the arc, as they cruised to the comfortable win the last time out. Max Yon dropped in 24 points, hitting 5-of-8 out on the perimeter, followed by Marek Olesinski with 12 points in the route.

Yon, who has scored at least 21 points in three of the last four outings, paces the program with his 15.9 ppg as he is the only double-digit performer on the roster at the moment. He has been quite aggressive from 3-point range where he has attempted 50 of his 90 field goals to this point, converting 52.0 percent of those tries. As a result, the team as a whole connects at 41.1 percent.

Unless the Falcons get more than Yon scoring significant points, the hosts might be in for a rude awakening this weekend. Then again, the Aggies haven't really beaten anyone of value yet, so Air Force might be safe just the same.