Air Force Sets Div. I Era Program Record with Dominant Win

USAF Academy, Colo. - Twelve Falcons scored 85 points to beat Fairleigh Dickinson, 85-37, in what became Air Force's largest margin of victory in the program's Division I era. The last time Air Force won by such a large margin was against San Diego State in the 2005-06 season where the Falcons beat the Aztecs, 74-45. Air Force improves to 2-2 as they prepare to hit the road for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Junior forward Kassady Huffman led the squad with her second-straight double-double this season, scoring 10 points and snagging 11 rebounds on the night. Sophomore guard Emily Conroe shot over 50-percent from the field to lead the team with 16 points. Conroe also tallied seven rebounds, three steals and a block on the night.

Air Force's freshman contribution continued to expand as Riley Snyder, Haley Jones and Cierra Winters were significant scorers in the victory. Snyder, who has started in all games this season, shot over 60-percent from down range, netting two three-pointers and four buckets for 10 points on the night. Jones, who averages six rebounds and eight points per game, kept the consistency as she wrangled in seven boards and tallied 13 points. Winters hit her first collegiate three-pointer in the third quarter then added another in the fourth quarter, going 2-2 from the arc. Winters finished with nine points.

Freshman teammates Briana Autrey, Coco Kuchins and Tanisha Elbourne combined for nine points while Jenna Adams and Natalie Nicks logged minutes. At one point, the floor was held by five Falcon freshmen.

"It was great to see so many players contributing," said head coach Chris Gobrecht. "I think we are only going to continue to get better. We've been working on a defense that not only applies pressure, but maintains it, and learning that takes time, but every game we get a little bit better at it, and we're having consistent gains."

As a team, the Falcons shot 52-percent from the field and 40-percent from deep. The Falcons netted 52 points from within the paint, outrebounding the Knights 55-30. The last time Air Force scored more than 85 points was in the 2010-11 season where the Falcons beat UNLV, 91-87, at the Academy.

"I thought the energy was great tonight," continued Gobrecht. "It was exciting to see the players who don't get a lot of time, step up and contribute. Cierra Winters, Noelle Tomes and Venessannah Itugbu exemplified that tonight-- they did the best they could with what they knew and they just played hard. I was very pleased with all of the contributions tonight."

The Falcons hit the road for the Thanksgiving holiday to take on service academy rivals, Army West Point, Nov. 21, at 5 p.m. ET. On Saturday, Nov. 24, Air Force will take on Northeastern at 1 p.m. ET, in Boston, Mass.

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