With only six players, Falcons nearly stun Wolfpack

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.- Air Force was dealt a nearly impossible hand on Monday night, as health and safety protocols left the Falcons with only seven available players against Nevada. Key Falcons such as Riley Snyder, Haley Jones, Dasha Macmillan and Lauren McDonald were unavailable, pressing the remainder of the bench into important minutes. Even so, Air Force controlled the final possession and look at the rim, as a Cierra Winters layup at the buzzer bounced in and out of the basket, leaving the Falcons on the unfortunate end of a 40-39 score.

Winters was asked to be the focal point of the offense, and she maintained the role well, scoring a game-high 18 points. Winters was tied with Taylor Britt for the team lead with six rebounds while adding a pair of steals to her end-of-night totals. Kamri Heath chipped in with eight points, as Jo Huntimer also managed six points.

Coach Gobrecht used only six players throughout the 40 minutes of play, but the Falcons held their own, with Air Force even carrying a 22-19 lead into the halftime break. However, the wear-and-tear of minutes accumulated began to show in the third quarter, as Nevada outscored Air Force 15-7 in the period, showing as if the task of overcoming a limited rotation would be too tall.

Though as this group has shown, no obstacle is too large. Trailing 36-29 with 9:29 remaining, the Falcons began to chip away. Air Force strung together a 6-0 run over the next four-plus minutes, cutting the deficit to 36-35 with five minutes left on the clock.

Back-and-forth offense between the two sides saw Air Force facing a 40-39 deficit with under a minute still to go. With 57 seconds left, a Winters layup was blocked and rebounded by Nevada, but the Falcons defense created a much-needed stop on the defensive end. Coach Gobrecht called a timeout at the 24-second mark, leaving Air Force with the final possession.

As the clock dwindled, Winters drove and fought through contact, sending one last shot off the backboard. To the home fans chagrin, the basketball bounced in and out, as Air Force came ever so close to reeling in one of the more improbable wins in program history.

Next, Air Force travels to San Diego State to play the Aztecs on Thursday, January 27. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 pm MT.

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