Air Force Hosts New Mexico in Regular-Season Finale
3/4/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 4, 2011
The Air Force women's basketball team concludes the regular season this Saturday, March 5, with a home contest versus New Mexico. The game is slated to begin at 12:00 p.m. in Clune Arena.
Game Information
Live Stats/Audio/Video: goairforcefalcons.com
Radio: The Sports Animal AM 1300
Series History: New Mexico leads, 27-1
Last Meeting: Air Force came short of its first-ever win in The Pit, dropping a 64-59 contest to the Lobos in Albuquerque on Feb. 2.
Head Coaches:
Air Force: Andrea Williams (8-20/First Season; 20-55/Third Season overall)
New Mexico: Don Flanagan (337-167/16th Season)
Promotions:
• Fan Appreciation - $1 Tickets for all fans
• Giveaway - Air Force license plate frames
• Post-game autograph session
Last Time Out...
In its final road game of the season, Air Force fell to second-place TCU, 88-52, on Wednesday night. A first-half scoring drought by the Falcons led to a 24-0 run by the Horned Frogs, who never relinquished control of the game.
Sophomore Megan Muniz was the Falcons' leading scorer, finishing with 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including a 3-of-5 mark from beyond the arc. Senior Raimee Beck added 12 points and a team-best five assists, while sophomore Dymond James scored 10 points.
Scouting the Falcons...
Air Force enters its final game of the regular season with an 8-20 overall record and 3-12 ledger in the Mountain West Conference following its road loss to TCU on Wednesday.
Senior Raimee Beck is the Falcons' leading scorer with 11.4 points per game, while sophomore Dymond James adds 11.0 points per game and a team-best 6.7 rebounds per contest. James is also averaging a team-leading 12.1 points in MWC action.
Scouting the Lobos...
New Mexico currently holds a 10-17 overall record and 4-11 ledger in the MWC. The Lobos are coming off a 65-49 home loss to BYU.
Jasmine Patterson leads the Lobos with 10.7 points per game, while Amanda Best adds 10.6 points and a team-best 7.6 rebounds per contest.
How We Rate...
In the latest conference statistics, Air Force ranks second in the MWC in three-point field goal percentage (.352).
Meanwhile, several Falcons rank among the conference's top-10 individual leaders:
Rank Stat
Rebounds
Dymond James 10 6.7
Assists
Megan Muniz 9 3.8
FT Pct.
Raimee Beck 5 .846
3PT FG Made
Raimee Beck 9 1.8
Assist/Turnover Ratio
Megan Muniz 5 1.8
Defensive Rebounds
Dymond James 9 5.0
How They Rate...
In the latest conference statistics, New Mexico
ranks second in the league in rebounding offense (39.0) and offensive rebounds (13.4), while ranking third in free throw percentage (.737), blocked shots (4.3) and turnover margin (+1.4).
Meanwhile, several Lobos rank among the conference's top-10 individual leaders in various categories:
Rank Stat
Rebounds
Amanda Best 6 7.6
FG Pct.
Porche Torrance 6 .474
FT Pct.
Lauren Taylor 4 .849
Jasmine Patterson 8 .802
Amanda Best 10 .774
Steals
Porche Torrance 2 1.9
3PT FG Pct.
Morgan Toben 6 .364
Jasmine Patterson 10 .340
Blocked Shots
Porche Torrance 4 1.7
Jessica Kielpinski 10 0.8
Offensive Rebounds
Porche Torrance 10 2.2
Defensive Rebounds
Amanda Best 3 5.7
LAst Time Against the Lobos...
Despite leading for much of the second half, Air Force was unable to get past the host Lobos, dropping a 64-59 decision to New Mexico on Feb. 2.
Sophomore Megan Muniz, playing near her hometown of Rio Rancho, N.M., knocked down a career-best four three-pointers to lead the Falcons with 16 points, while Dymond James added 13 points.
Senior Amanda Best led the Lobos with 15 points, nine rebounds and eight assists while playing all 40 minutes.
Saying Good-bye to a stellar Senior...
Saturday's game will be the final home game for the Falcons' lone senior Raimee Beck, who graduates as one of the most decorated players in program history. Beck, a two-time all-conference honoree holds numerous school records, both during the program's Division I era and overall. She holds career records in games played and started, three-point field goals made and attempted and free throw percentage. Beck is also the program's Division I leader in career points, scoring average, assists, steals and field goal attempts.
One of the finest players to ever don an Air Force jersey, Beck is currently the only player in school history to rank in the top 10 in career points, rebounds and assists, ranking fifth, eighth and sixth, respectively, in those categories.
Oh, the Possibilities...
While just one day of competition remains in the Mountain West Conference, most of the seeds for the upcoming league tournament are still to be determined. BYU has already clinched the Mountain West Conference regular season title and TCU and Wyoming have locked up the second and third seeds, respectively, but spots 4-9 are still up for grabs.
Colorado State, San Diego State and Utah are still vying for the fourth, fifth and sixth seeds, while Air Force, New Mexico and UNLV are in a race for seeds 7-9.
Several scenarios still remain in determining the Falcons' seed for next week's tournament:
• To earn the seventh seed, Air Force would need a win over New Mexico and a San Diego State win over Colorado State.
• An Air Force win and a San Diego State loss, or an Air Force loss and a UNLV loss (against Utah) would result in an eight seed for the Falcons.
• A loss by Air Force and a win by UNLV would cause the Falcons to drop to the ninth seed.
The All-Time Leader...
Against TCU on Wednesday, senior captain Raimee Beck earned yet another school record—this time in career games played. Beck suited up for her 115th career game, surpassing 2007 graduate Pamela Findlay. Beck has also started every game that she has played in, a feat that no other four-year player for the Falcons has matched.
Megan Scores Again...
Sophomore Megan Muniz was the Falcons' top scorer against TCU on Wednesday evening, finishing the game with 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including 3-of-5 shots from downtown. Her .750 field goal percentage for the game matched a season-high for an Air Force player—Jamela Satterfield also knocked down 6-of-8 shots in the season opener against Lipscomb.
Dymond In Double-Digits...
Sophomore Dymond James scored 10 points against TCU on Wednesday, marking the 13th time in 15 conference games that she has scored in double figures. For the season, James has registered at least 10 points in a team-leading 20 games.
Next Up...
The Falcons head to Las Vegas, Nev., next week, March 8-12, for the 2011 Conoco Mountain West Basketball Championships. Air Force will begin action on Tuesday, with a game time/opponent yet to be determined.
