Air Force Rallies to 58-55 Victory at San Diego State

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Air Force came from behind to steal a 58-55 victory from San Diego State, Sunday afternoon in Viejas Arena. The Falcons, who are back in the win column after a four-game losing streak, improve to 4-9, 2-6 MW while SDSU drops to 5-8 with a 3-4 mark in the league.

A fiery Air Force fourth quarter, led by Briana Autrey Thompson and Riley Snyder, yielded a 19-6 scoring run in the final five minutes of the game, helping the Falcons assume the lead and eventual win in the waning minutes. Air Force displayed grit and perseverance in overcoming a lack-luster six-point second quarter and 11-point deficit in the third quarter.

Autrey Thompson, who scored a game-high 18 points, scored nine of those points in the fourth quarter alone while classmate Snyder put up eight points in the final 10 minutes. Snyder, who leads the team in scoring, finished with 15 points, six rebounds and three assists, while Autrey-Thompson rounded out her stat line with five assists and five rebounds.

Senior guard Emily Conroe led Air Force's rebounding effort with 10 boards on the day. Conroe, a senior out of Fredericksburg, Virginia, impacted the Air Force Division I record book on two accounts Sunday afternoon, scoring her 1000^th career-point and collecting her 660^th career rebound. Conroe is the 17^th Falcon all-time to achieve the scoring feat and her 660 career rebounds ranks her third in the Division I era.

Air Force senior Kassady Huffman was a problem for the Aztec offense as the Colorado Springs native rejected a game-high four shots while snagging nine rebounds on the day, six of which were on the defensive side of the ball. Huffman is the league's leading blocker with 25 blocks and 1.9 blocks per game.

Junior Falcon Audrey Gadison is making her mark as a consistent three-point shooter, dropping nine points on four field goals attempts and shooting 75-percent (3-4) from deep. She leads the squad with a .462 three-point shooting percentage this season. Sophomore teammate Nikki McDonald also put up a crucial six points via two long balls.

A significant factor in Air Force staying in the game and winning was the shooting accuracy at the free throw line as the Falcons knocked down a season-best 92-percent of shots (12-13) from the charity stripe. The squad's 35-percent field goal accuracy was the best shooting percentage since upending Boise State on January 6.

SDSU was superb from beyond the arc, shooting 55-percent on the game, but the lack of contribution from their bench (8 points) and missed fast break opportunities proved to be the difference. The Aztecs were led by Mercedes Staples' 16 points while Kim Villalobos led the team with 10 rebounds.

The Falcons will see a break in action as the two-game series with San Jose State, slated for January 28 and 30, has been canceled. The San José State women's basketball program will not play the remainder of the 2020-21 season due to health and safety concerns stemming from COVID-19. Air Force returns to the home court for a two-game series with UNLV, February 5 and 7.

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