Air Force Academy
Northwestern
Women’s Basketball Opens Two-Stop Power Five Road Trip at Northwestern
12/16/2022 9:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Air Force (5-5, 0-0 MWC) at Northwestern (5-5. 0-1 Big Ten)
Welsh-Ryan Arena | Evanston, Ill.
Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022 – 5:00 p.m. MT
Air Force | Northwestern | Mountain West
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Game Notes
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U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – To close out its 2022-23 non-conference stretch, the Air Force women's basketball team once again takes to the road, facing Northwestern in Evanston, Ill. on Saturday. The game marks the first all-time meeting between the two programs, and the Falcons' facing off against a Big Ten opponent for the first time since the 2011-12 season.
Falcons at a Glance:
The Falcons enter Friday's contest following a 2-1 homestand at Clune Arena, downing UTEP (Dec. 4) and UCCS (Dec. 7), before falling to Utah Tech, 73-70 on Dec. 10.
On the national scene, Air Force currently ranks sixth in steals per-game (14.0) and 14th in turnovers forced per-game (23.30)- Leading the Mountain West in both categories. Sophomore Jo Huntimer senior Kamri Heath head up the Falcon defense, ranking 21st and 31st nationally in total steals with a combined 56 takeaways in the first ten games. 29 and 27 total steals for Huntimer and Heath rank first and second among Mountain West competitors. Huntimer and Heath lead the Mountain West and fall in the top-20 percent nationally in steals per-game, posting 2.90 and 2.70, respectively.
Tip of the Spear
Kamri Heath currently leads Air Force in multiple categories on offense, topping the Falcons' stat sheet in FG attempts (140), FG percentage (.429), FG made (60), total points (152) and points per-game (15.2). Heath, posting double-digit scores in nine of the Falcons' first ten contests, has led Air Force scoring in five games.
KP Kicking in the Door
Junior Kayla Pilson, in her return from a five-game absence due to injury, scored 44 points in a three-game stretch for the Falcons. KP reset her career high twice in six days, posting 17 points in a 63-60 win against UTEP (Dec. 4) to log her first career double-double and 21 versus Utah Tech (Dec. 10). On Dec. 7, Pilson set a career-high 14 rebounds in the Falcons' 63-51 win over UCCS.
Wa'ahila Workhorse
Honolulu native Jo Huntimer, with 51 assists on the year thus far and 173 for her career, is just 71 shy of claiming the tenth spot on the Falcons' all-time assists record list. Huntimer currently ranks first across the Mountain West in steals (21) and steals per-game (2.90), and second in assist/turnover ratio (1.76), total assists (51), and assists per-game (5.1).
Scouting Northwestern:
Northwestern (5-5, 0-1 Big Ten) broke a three-game skid on Thursday, defeating Illinois-Chicago, 66-62. The Wildcats rank 29th nationally in blocked shots behind a team-high 17 for sophomore forward Caileigh Walsh. Walsh also leads Northwestern in scoring, averaging 13.4 points per-game. A tandem of Walsh and graduate senior Sydney Wood lead a Wildcat frontcourt, both averaging double-digit points per-game. The Wildcats closed 2021-22 with a 17-12 mark with their season ending in the Big Ten quarterfinal round.
Coach G Gaining Ground
Head Coach Chris Gobrecht is currently serving her 43rd season as a head coach - the second-longest tenure in Division I women's hoops behind Stanford's Tara VanDerveer (44). Gobrecht's career win tally surpassed 600 wins in the Falcons' Nov. 11 home opener against Navy.
Into her eighth season at the head of the Falcons' program, Coach Gobrecht currently has 60 career Air Force wins to her name, making her the all-time winningest coach at three separate institutions- Air Force, Yale and Washington.
Gobrecht was named 2021-22 Mountain West Coach of the Year following Air Force's successful 19-14 season – A year punctuated by Gobrecht's fourth career WNIT appearance as a head coach, and the Falcons' first postseason appearance and subsequent win in program history – a 64-60 victory over WCC opponent San Francisco on March 17.
Last Time Out:
On Saturday, the Falcons held a Utah Tech squad averaging 91.4 points per-game (fifth-most in the nation) to its lowest score of the season, but ultimately fell to the Trailblazers, 73-70, in the waning seconds of the contest.
Air Force (5-5, 0-0 MWC) was led on the floor by junior Kayla Pilson, who reset her career-high with 21 points on 9-14 from the field. In addition, Pilson logged 11 rebounds and two steals on the afternoon, recording her first career double-double, and posting double-digit boards in consecutive games for the first time in her Falcon career.
How To Follow:
Saturday's game at Northwestern will be available for viewing via subscription on B1G+; audio live-streaming will be accessible on WNUR Sports (Mixlr); Live statistics and play-by-play analysis can be viewed on nusports.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary.
Next Up:
The final stop on the Falcons' last non-conference road trip takes them to Stillwater, Okla. to face Oklahoma State on Dec. 20. Air Force returns to Clune Arena on Dec. 29 to open Mountain West competition against Utah State.
