Thursday, March 17
San Francisco, CA
6:00 pm MT
Air Force Academy
64
at
60
University of San Francisco
Falcons rally in final quarter, advance to WNIT Second Round
3/17/2022 9:33:00 PM | Women's Basketball
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.- Air Force women's basketball has never had the privilege of surviving and advancing in the month of March. Though, in a year comprised of "never-before's", it only seems fitting the Falcons would do both.
Trailing 48-45 going into the 4th quarter, Air Force outscored San Francisco 19-12 while forcing eight turnovers over the final 10 minutes to pull off the 64-60 comeback win.
Riley Snyder and Cierra Winters each had 15 points, as both players were vital down the stretch. Snyder made all six her of her free throws, going 4-4 in the final quarter. Winters, the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year, had four steals in the 4th quarter, while knocking down a pair of free throws in the waning seconds to put the game out of reach.
Snyder's 15 points give her 1,605 career points, becoming only the 4th player in program history to reach the 1,600-point threshold. Her 483 points this season is also the most points scored by a player in a single season in the Division I era. Winters' six steals gives her 86 for the season, the most by an Air Force player since Latoya Howell in 2001-02.
Kamri Heath had 14 points on 7-13 shooting from the field, and was another player whose 4th quarter performance was critical to the victory. Heath knocked down three of Air Force's six field goals over the concluding minutes, while her steal and layup with 22 seconds left in regulation gave the Falcons a five-point cushion with limited clock remaining. Lauren McDonald was 2-4 from beyond the arc, adding 10 total points off the bench.
Jo Huntimer was less than 100% going into Thursday's game, but her three assists on Thursday gives her 119 on the season, the most by an Air Force freshman since the Falcons transitioned to Division I play in 1996.
Free throws loomed large, with the Falcons going 7-9 in the second half while the Dons were just 6-11 from the stripe over the same stretch. Air Force also out-rebounded San Francisco 39-35. Chris Gobrecht's team brought its Mountain West leading defense to California, forcing 20 total turnovers. The Falcons outscored the Dons 24-11 in points off of turnovers.
The Falcons needed some time to adjust to the moment, shooting just 22.5% in the first quarter. Even so, Air Force led 13-12 after the first 10 minutes.
The Dons then started to get out and run in transition, catching the Falcons somewhat off guard. A more efficient San Francisco 2nd quarter was rewarded with a 30-27 lead at halftime.
After both teams matched points in the 3rd quarter, the Falcons trailed 48-45 going into the final 10 minutes of play. The deficit was quickly evaporated, as the Falcons reeled off the first 10 points of the 4th quarter. However, Air Force went without a point for three and a half minutes after the 10-0 run, seeing the Dons cut the lead to 55-54 with 1:33 remaining.
Nevertheless, the Falcons defense does not relent.
Winters' sixth steal of the night turned into a Heath layup, putting Air Force up 57-54 with 41 seconds left. The ensuing possession resulted in a Heath steal and subsequent right-handed layup to give the Falcons a 59-54 lead with 22 seconds left.
A San Francisco three-pointer with five seconds remaining caused the Air Force bench to pause, but just for a moment. Winters was sent to the line with a 62-60 lead, and connected on the two late free throws to put the game on ice.
The win marks Coach Gobrecht's 598th career win, and becomes Air Force's first postseason tournament win in program history.
Next, Air Force is scheduled to play the winner of Friday night's UCLA/UC-Irvine matchup. The time and date of Air Force's WNIT Second Round appearance is still to be determined.
Trailing 48-45 going into the 4th quarter, Air Force outscored San Francisco 19-12 while forcing eight turnovers over the final 10 minutes to pull off the 64-60 comeback win.
Riley Snyder and Cierra Winters each had 15 points, as both players were vital down the stretch. Snyder made all six her of her free throws, going 4-4 in the final quarter. Winters, the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year, had four steals in the 4th quarter, while knocking down a pair of free throws in the waning seconds to put the game out of reach.
Snyder's 15 points give her 1,605 career points, becoming only the 4th player in program history to reach the 1,600-point threshold. Her 483 points this season is also the most points scored by a player in a single season in the Division I era. Winters' six steals gives her 86 for the season, the most by an Air Force player since Latoya Howell in 2001-02.
Kamri Heath had 14 points on 7-13 shooting from the field, and was another player whose 4th quarter performance was critical to the victory. Heath knocked down three of Air Force's six field goals over the concluding minutes, while her steal and layup with 22 seconds left in regulation gave the Falcons a five-point cushion with limited clock remaining. Lauren McDonald was 2-4 from beyond the arc, adding 10 total points off the bench.
Jo Huntimer was less than 100% going into Thursday's game, but her three assists on Thursday gives her 119 on the season, the most by an Air Force freshman since the Falcons transitioned to Division I play in 1996.
Free throws loomed large, with the Falcons going 7-9 in the second half while the Dons were just 6-11 from the stripe over the same stretch. Air Force also out-rebounded San Francisco 39-35. Chris Gobrecht's team brought its Mountain West leading defense to California, forcing 20 total turnovers. The Falcons outscored the Dons 24-11 in points off of turnovers.
The Falcons needed some time to adjust to the moment, shooting just 22.5% in the first quarter. Even so, Air Force led 13-12 after the first 10 minutes.
The Dons then started to get out and run in transition, catching the Falcons somewhat off guard. A more efficient San Francisco 2nd quarter was rewarded with a 30-27 lead at halftime.
After both teams matched points in the 3rd quarter, the Falcons trailed 48-45 going into the final 10 minutes of play. The deficit was quickly evaporated, as the Falcons reeled off the first 10 points of the 4th quarter. However, Air Force went without a point for three and a half minutes after the 10-0 run, seeing the Dons cut the lead to 55-54 with 1:33 remaining.
Nevertheless, the Falcons defense does not relent.
Winters' sixth steal of the night turned into a Heath layup, putting Air Force up 57-54 with 41 seconds left. The ensuing possession resulted in a Heath steal and subsequent right-handed layup to give the Falcons a 59-54 lead with 22 seconds left.
A San Francisco three-pointer with five seconds remaining caused the Air Force bench to pause, but just for a moment. Winters was sent to the line with a 62-60 lead, and connected on the two late free throws to put the game on ice.
The win marks Coach Gobrecht's 598th career win, and becomes Air Force's first postseason tournament win in program history.
Next, Air Force is scheduled to play the winner of Friday night's UCLA/UC-Irvine matchup. The time and date of Air Force's WNIT Second Round appearance is still to be determined.
Players Mentioned
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