2003-04 Season Review
5/4/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
May 4, 2004
The 2003-04 Air Force women's basketball team suffered a disappointing season, going 3-25 overall and 0-14 in the Mountain West. Under the direction of head coach Ardie McInelly, the Falcons suffered one of their worst seasons in school history, tying an all-time Academy low for victories in a season. Yet despite the losses, the team was always competitive, showing glimpses of excellence that the coaching staff can build upon for the future.
The Falcons opened the season hosting the Air Force Classic tournament. They played eventual tournament winner Texas Pan American in the opening game. In a nail-biter, the Falcons mounted a double-digit comeback in the second half to tie the game and send it to overtime, but three costly misses at the free throw line hurt their chances of winning and the Falcons ended up with a one-point loss, 68-67.
In the second game of the Classic, Air Force suffered a five-point loss to Boise State. The team would go on to lose their next four games, including three consecutive road losses, to start the season 0-6.
The losing streak would come to an end against New Mexico Highlands, as the Falcons notched an 80-56 win. Senior Shawna Neff scored 16 points and freshman Letricia Castillo added 15 points, as the Falcons led wire-to-wire en route to a 24-point victory.
They followed up that win with a victory over Northern Colorado. The team held the Bears scoreless for over eight minutes in the second half and used a 23-0 run in the second half to win its second consecutive game, 75-60.
Next, the Falcons would shock visiting Portland 57-51 for their third straight win. Castillo had a team-high 15 points to lead the team to victory over a strong opponent. It marked just the second time in team Division I history that the team won three straight.
The win streak would end at three games the following week in Anapolis, when the Falcons would fall to service academy rival Navy. They would also lose to Army in what would prove to be the first two losses in a devastating 19-game losing streak to close out the season.
The Falcons would go 0-14 in the conference, marking the third time in five seasons the team was winless in league play. Late in the season, the streak was nearly snapped at San Diego State. Leading the entire game, the Falcons saw their advantage slip away in the final minutes. SDSU's Veronica Shaw scored on a driving lay up with under four seconds remaining to give the Aztecs a two-point win. The Falcons led by seven points late in the game but failed to score in the final 3:11 of the game to suffer the 52-50 loss and remain winless in conference action.
It was disappointing loss for Air Force, who failed to win a road game during the season. The team ended the 2003-04 campaign with a 63-50 loss to New Mexico at the Mountain West Championships. Playing as the eighth seed, the Falcons kept the game close throughout, and were within three points of the lead in the second half, but failed to notch the upset.
Despite the poor record, several individuals were successful, including the three seniors who finished their Falcon careers: Shawna Neff, Amoy Jackson and Janea Childress.
Neff, who was one of just two players to score in every game, tallied 241 points in her final season. She led the team in rebounding (5.5 rpg) and notched a team-high 39 steals. She ended her career with 973 career points, which ranks tied for 10th on the Academy all-time career scoring list. Neff tallied the team's only double-double of the season against Army with 11 points and a career-high 10 rebounds. She earned the team's Falcon Award for her positive contribution both on and off the court.
Jackson returned from a one-year hiatus and made an immediate impact for the Falcons. She was one of the team's premier defenders, usually matched up against the opponent's top scorer, as was selected as the team's defensive MVP. Jackson was second on team in both scoring (8.9 ppg) and rebounding (5.3 rpg). She scored in double figures in 14 of 27 games and was the other player to score in every game.
Childress started twice, but was utilized more off the bench as a role player. She played in 26 of 28 games and logged a season-high 25 minutes against Army. She finished her career with 147 points.
Several other players made their mark, including Castillo, who started in all but five games and was the team's leading scorer with 12.0 points per game. Castillo scored in double figures in 19 games and led the team in 17 of those games. She finished the season 11th in the league in scoring and was named the team's offensive MVP.
Several other freshmen made an immediate impact on the team. Andrea Taylor earned the starting point guard position. She started 13 times during the season and had a career-high 15 points in her first career game. Jacki Novak played in every game, starting 14 games and averaging 16.9 minutes per game. She was solid on the boards, finishing the year fourth on the team in rebounding. Ashley Cwiakala and Dawn Higginbotham also had impressive freshman seasons for the Falcons.
Veterans Gwen Grove, Jennifer Roesch and Briana Thomas continued to contribute on the court. The trio combined for 29 starts. Thomas was third on the team in rebounding and tied for second in blocked shots. Roesch was fourth on the team in scoring, finishing the season with 132 points. Grove entered the record books, going 10-of-10 from the charity stripe at Navy to tie a single game record for free throw percentage. Sophomore Brittany Dahlstrom did not receive a lot of playing time, but she helped keep morale high. She won the team's Attitude is Everything award for her positive attitude.
Overall, the Falcons were disappointed in the results of the season. But the team played hard and was competitive in nearly every game throughout the season. They will miss the graduating seniors, but have a solid core of returning players and a strong recruiting class to make next season more memorable.
Overall Record: 3-25
MWC Record: 0-14
Team Captains: Shawna Neff, Amoy Jackson
AWARDS:
Offensive MVP: Letricia Castillo
Defensive MVP: Amoy Jackson
Falcon Award: Shawna Neff
Attitude is Everything: Brittany Dahlstrom
