PROVO, Utah (AP) -- Nick Welch scored 16 points to lead Air Force past BYU 52-49 Saturday afternoon.
The Falcons (12-6, 3-0 Mountain West) have now won six of their last seven, while the Cougars (6-13, 0-4) have lost five of their last six.
Turnovers and missed free throws proved costly for the Cougars, as they allowed 12 steals and converted just 38 percent from the line.
The Falcons took a lead they would not relinquish with 3:30 left, when a Welch 3-pointer put them up 48-47. The Cougars answered with a basket by Jimmy Balderson to pull within one before Antoine Hood scored a layup off a Matt McCraw steal.
McCraw nailed two free throws with 11.6 left in the game, and BYU's Austin Ainge missed a wild 3-point shot at the buzzer to seal the Falcon win.
Keena Young led BYU with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
