Wednesday, March 2
USAFA, CO
6:30 pm MT
Air Force Academy
70
vs
46
San Diego State
Falcons punctuate regular season, rout Aztecs in home finale
3/2/2022 9:21:00 PM | Women's Basketball
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.- A remarkable 2021-22 regular season for Air Force women's basketball came to its conclusion on Wednesday, as the Falcons drubbed the Aztecs 70-46.
Riley Snyder and Lauren McDonald led the Falcons in scoring, as both managed 16 points to tie the game-high. The two seemingly exchanged roles as the halves changed, with McDonald posting 15 points over the first 20 minutes of play, while 11 of Snyder's 16 points were scored in the second-half. Both women combined to make six of Air Force's seven three-point field goals.
Snyder, now Air Force's most potent Division I era scorer, ends her farewell regular season with a 15.4 points per game average, fifth-highest among Mountain West players. She will end her Air Force career owning three of the top five individual season scoring averages among all Falcon players since 1996, while her 1,554 career points currently sits fourth all-time since the program debuted in 1976.
Haley Jones finished her evening one point shy of a double-double, as the senior snagged 15 rebounds to go with nine points. Wednesday's win marks the fourth game this season Jones has collected 15 rebounds. Jones finishes the regular season as the leading rebounder in the Mountain West, having averaged 9.6 rebounds per game. As well, the senior's 4.4 offensive rebounds per game will finish as the eighth-best average among Division I players. Jones' 246 rebounds this season is the seventh-most in a single season in program history, while her 584 career rebounds is the sixth-highest total in the Division I era.
Jo Huntimer collected a career-high eight rebounds while dishing out a team-best four assists. Huntimer, one of only two players on Air Force to have played all 29 regular season games, has 107 assists so far this season, the fifth-most ever by an Air Force freshman.
Though the Air Force defense didn't create its usual amount of turnovers, the Falcons activity on that end of the floor resulted in San Diego State shooting just 29.1%, the second-lowest field goal percentage by the Aztecs this season. Chris Gobrecht's team held San Diego State to 16 made field goals to tie a season-low.
Air Force kept San Diego State from finding any offensive rhythm in the first-half, as the Aztecs were 6-30 from the field over the first 20 minutes of play. As a result, the Falcons owned a comfortable 36-17 lead at the halftime break. However, the 3rd quarter wasn't quite as smooth for Air Force as the first two.
The Aztecs shot 70% in the 3rd, as the away team jumped out to a quick 10-0 run over the first four minutes of the period. What was once a 19-point Air Force lead at halftime quickly became an eight-point lead entering the final 10 minutes of regulation.
Even so, the Falcons countered with a haymaker of their own. Air Force found its defensive groove in the 4th quarter, limiting San Diego State to just three made field goals over the final 10 minutes of play, including 0-4 from three-point range. The Falcons wound up shooting 58.3% to close the game, a figure that comprises Air Force hitting three of their four three-point attempts. The Air Force lead ballooned to as much as 24 points, equal to the final score.
With 17 overall wins this season and 11 in the Mountain West, the 2021-22 regular season marks the pinnacle of success for the program. Both win totals are program bests since joining the Mountain West in 1999, and also stand as new benchmarks since transitioning to Division I play in 1996. Air Force's 17 regular season wins are the most since the 1993-94 season, while the Falcons haven't won 11 conference games since 1990-91.
The Falcons finish Mountain West play 5th among the 11 teams, the Academy's highest in-conference standing since becoming a Mountain West member. As a result, the Falcons will advance to the quarterfinals of the Mountain West Tournament, where Air Force will meet Nevada (19-10, 11-6) on Monday, March 7. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:30 pm MT.
Riley Snyder and Lauren McDonald led the Falcons in scoring, as both managed 16 points to tie the game-high. The two seemingly exchanged roles as the halves changed, with McDonald posting 15 points over the first 20 minutes of play, while 11 of Snyder's 16 points were scored in the second-half. Both women combined to make six of Air Force's seven three-point field goals.
Snyder, now Air Force's most potent Division I era scorer, ends her farewell regular season with a 15.4 points per game average, fifth-highest among Mountain West players. She will end her Air Force career owning three of the top five individual season scoring averages among all Falcon players since 1996, while her 1,554 career points currently sits fourth all-time since the program debuted in 1976.
Haley Jones finished her evening one point shy of a double-double, as the senior snagged 15 rebounds to go with nine points. Wednesday's win marks the fourth game this season Jones has collected 15 rebounds. Jones finishes the regular season as the leading rebounder in the Mountain West, having averaged 9.6 rebounds per game. As well, the senior's 4.4 offensive rebounds per game will finish as the eighth-best average among Division I players. Jones' 246 rebounds this season is the seventh-most in a single season in program history, while her 584 career rebounds is the sixth-highest total in the Division I era.
Jo Huntimer collected a career-high eight rebounds while dishing out a team-best four assists. Huntimer, one of only two players on Air Force to have played all 29 regular season games, has 107 assists so far this season, the fifth-most ever by an Air Force freshman.
Though the Air Force defense didn't create its usual amount of turnovers, the Falcons activity on that end of the floor resulted in San Diego State shooting just 29.1%, the second-lowest field goal percentage by the Aztecs this season. Chris Gobrecht's team held San Diego State to 16 made field goals to tie a season-low.
Air Force kept San Diego State from finding any offensive rhythm in the first-half, as the Aztecs were 6-30 from the field over the first 20 minutes of play. As a result, the Falcons owned a comfortable 36-17 lead at the halftime break. However, the 3rd quarter wasn't quite as smooth for Air Force as the first two.
The Aztecs shot 70% in the 3rd, as the away team jumped out to a quick 10-0 run over the first four minutes of the period. What was once a 19-point Air Force lead at halftime quickly became an eight-point lead entering the final 10 minutes of regulation.
Even so, the Falcons countered with a haymaker of their own. Air Force found its defensive groove in the 4th quarter, limiting San Diego State to just three made field goals over the final 10 minutes of play, including 0-4 from three-point range. The Falcons wound up shooting 58.3% to close the game, a figure that comprises Air Force hitting three of their four three-point attempts. The Air Force lead ballooned to as much as 24 points, equal to the final score.
With 17 overall wins this season and 11 in the Mountain West, the 2021-22 regular season marks the pinnacle of success for the program. Both win totals are program bests since joining the Mountain West in 1999, and also stand as new benchmarks since transitioning to Division I play in 1996. Air Force's 17 regular season wins are the most since the 1993-94 season, while the Falcons haven't won 11 conference games since 1990-91.
The Falcons finish Mountain West play 5th among the 11 teams, the Academy's highest in-conference standing since becoming a Mountain West member. As a result, the Falcons will advance to the quarterfinals of the Mountain West Tournament, where Air Force will meet Nevada (19-10, 11-6) on Monday, March 7. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:30 pm MT.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
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