USAF ACADEMY, COLORADO - The Citadel basketball team fell in a tight road contest to Air Force 97-93 on Wednesday night at Clune Arena, as the Bulldogs dropped to 5-3 on the season.
 
Junior Warren Sledge scored a career-high 18 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the field to lead The Citadel. Senior point guard P.J. Boutte recorded his third career double-double with 13 points and 11 assists. He has now dished out at least 10 assists four times this season.
 
Six different Bulldogs scored defensively as Derrick Henry, Quinton Marshall and Quayson Williams notched 16 points, 15 points and 10 points, respectively. Senior walk-on Bobby Duncan also contributed seven great minutes off the bench, finishing with a career-high seven rebounds, two points and two assists.
 
After falling down 13-8 early, The Citadel used hot shooting and stingy defense to put together a 10-0 run and surge in front 24-17. Freshman Connor Schroeder sunk a pair of treys on back-to-back possessions and the Bulldogs held Air Force without a field goal for more than four minutes of game clock during the momentum change.
 
The Citadel went on to outscore the Falcons 33-22 over the final 15 minutes of the first half and took a 41-35 lead into the break. The Bulldogs shot 47.1 percent from the floor in the opening frame, assisting on 14 of their 16 made field goals.
 
Air Force regained the lead early in the second half with a 13-0 run, but a resilient effort from head coach Duggar Baucom's team kept the Bulldogs within striking distance until the final seconds. A tough layup down low from Duncan tied the game at 70-70 with 7:28 remaining. Air Force managed to jump ahead again with an 11-4 spurt and never surrendered its lead.
 
The Bulldogs cut their deficit to 96-93 with three seconds left after a three-pointer from Boutte, but the Falcons iced the game with a free throw to seal the win.
 
The Citadel now returns to McAlister Field House for a two-game homestand. The Bulldogs face College of Charleston on Saturday and host Voorhees College on Dec. 8. Tip off against the crosstown rival Cougars is set for 11 a.m.
 
For more information on The Citadel basketball, follow @CitadelHoops or visit CitadelSports.com.