SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Maybe it was the passion of a sibling rivalry. Maybe it was the excitement of playing in front of his parents. Maybe it was the motivation of walking on a court he could have called home.
Maybe Andrew Henke finally realized his potential.
Henke scored a career-high 13 points against his older brother, and No. 23 Air Force pummeled host Santa Clara, 78-48, to win the Cable Car Classic late Friday night at the Leavey Center.
The Falcons, who improved to 13-1 with their ninth straight victory, shot 60 percent, including a 16 of 30 from 3-point range. The 16 3-pointers were two shy of the school record and the most in the 40-year history of the Cable Car Classic.
Jacob Burtschi led all scorers with 16 points and was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. Matt McCraw and Nick Welch scored 13 points apiece. Dan Nwaelele had 12 points and a career-high seven assists.
Santa Clara's starters combined for 27 points, and Air Force used heavy interior pressure to neutralize 6-foot-10, 305-pound center John Bryant and 7-foot, 275-pound center Josh Higgins. Santa Clara, which fell to 10-5, shot 37.8 percent and committed 16 turnovers.
"Offense is a variable. Defense is a constant," said Air Force coach Jeff Bzdelik, whose team begins Mountain West Conference play Wednesday at Colorado State. "We're not always going to shoot that well."
Air Force grabbed a 36-12 lead on eight 3-pointers in the first 15 minutes, including two apiece by Henke and Nwaelele. The lead ballooned to 48-21 at intermission after Burtschi nailed two 3-pointers and Henke and McCraw each made a 3-pointer in the final five minutes of the first half.
Henke scored all 13 of his points in a first half in which he shot 5 of 7 and made three 3-pointers after coming off the bench. He scored on a back-door layup and a one-handed dunk.
"Andrew took a great opportunity and turned it into something really special," McCraw said. "Now he knows he can play with the best of them, and now it's expected for him to play like that. And I am sure he's going to carry it throughout the year."
Said Burtschi: "He was waiting for his turn. This was the perfect timing. He had a lot of family out here and he was playing against his brother."
Henke's brother, Mitch, was limited to four minutes off Santa Clara's bench because of a sprained right ankle. He entered the game with Andrew with 14:34 remaining in the first half.
The Henke brothers played together at Hopkins (Minn.) High School and never had played against each other in an organized game. Andrew Henke was offered a spot on Santa Clara's team but not a scholarship.
Asked if bragging rights were at stake against his brother, Andrew Henke said, "Not really. It's all love in the family. His ankle was hurt pretty bad. You could see the bruising all the way up his leg."
Henke, a sophomore guard, had scored in double figures twice in his previous 12 games. He's Air Force's most productive reserve with an average of 5.8 points on 57.8 percent shooting in 16.5 minutes per game.
"I'm usually not very bashful," Henke said. "If I'm open, I'm going to shoot it. I just come in and bring some energy and bring a spark."