Saturday, January 14
USAFA, CO
1:00 PM MT
Air Force Academy
8-10,3-3Mountain West
71
vs
68
Fresno State
8-11,1-5Mountain West
1
2
3
4
F
Fresno St.
14
20
11
23
68
Air Force
21
14
23
13
71
Women's Basketball Hangs on for 71-68 Win Over Fresno State
1/14/2023 5:57:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Postgame Interviews
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – In yet another tight game in Clune Arena for the Air Force women's basketball team, the Falcons managed to stave off foul trouble and a late Fresno State surge to claim a 71-68 win.
Saturday's contest marked the third home game out of the last four for the Falcons which was decided by a single score, and the fifth of the season which turned into a one-possession game within the final minute.
Freshman Milahnie Perry led Falcon scoring for the second-straight game, posting 17 points behind 5-8 (.625) shooting and 3-4 from three-point range. Sophomore Madison Smith and senior Nikki McDonald added 15 and 14 points respectively, marking Smith's fifth game out of the last six to score in double digits.
The Falcons (8-10, 3-3 MW) rode a hot start to a 21-14 lead at the end of the first quarter behind 9-11 (.818) shooting and two threes. Early on, the two teams traded baskets to a 6-6 game, before Air Force took off on a 10-2 run, pushing as much as a nine-point advantage in the final minutes of the opening quarter.
Leading into the second, Fresno (8-11, 1-5 MW) settled into its offensive rhythm, outscoring Air Force 20-14. After Heath opened the quarter with a contested layup along the baseline to extend the Falcons' lead to nine, the Bulldogs put together an 8-0 run to cut the Falcons' lead to one. Up 29-28 with just over two minutes remaining in the half, a three-pointer from Fresno's Daylee Dunn gave the Bulldogs their first – and only – lead of the contest with 1:50 left on the clock.
Down four with the shot clock off, senior Kamri Heath, along the left wing, pitched the ball up top to Perry, who made good on her three-pointer with two seconds left. As Perry's shot falls, freshman Faith Shelton drew a foul under the basket from Dunn with Fresno in the bonus, sending Shelton to the line. Two successful free throws from Shelton capped a five-point play, suddenly awarding the Falcons with a 35-34 lead at halftime.
Another strong showing from the Falcons coming out of the locker room bought them the breathing room they ultimately needed to hold on for a win. Air Force, after scoring just five points in as many minutes, managed to outscore Fresno 18-7 down the back half of the quarter, with McDonald making a pair of three-pointers to end the third which included beating the buzzer to lift Air Force to a 13-point lead.
The Bulldogs managed a near-comeback in the fourth quarter after opening on a 10-0 run which cut Air Force's lead back to three just within two and a half minutes of play before another Perry three-pointer cut off the Fresno State advance. A pair of made free-throws and a driving layup for Amaya West brought Fresno State back within two points, after which Perry responded with four points of her own to keep Air Force out to a six-point lead with 4:25 remaining.
Just up three approaching the final minute of regulation, a travel turnover gave possession back to Fresno State with a chance to potentially tie the game. Smith managed to get a hand on the in-bounds pass, kicking it out to Perry inside the key, where she drew a shooting foul, made two free throws and awarded the Falcons with a 69-64 lead entering the final minute.
A pair of made free throws on the other end after a Smith foul, and a basket from West cut the Falcons' lead back to one.
Despite being outscored by Fresno 23-13 in the final quarter and missing on four-straight free throws to close the game, the Falcons managed to keep a grip on their lead behind two key turnovers forced by McDonald in the final minute. In both of the Falcons' final two possessions, McDonald managed to force a steal, holding off any scoring threat from the Bulldogs and sending the senior to the free-throw line with five seconds remaining.
Air Force women's basketball is back in Clune Arena on Monday to host San Jose State at 6:30 p.m.
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – In yet another tight game in Clune Arena for the Air Force women's basketball team, the Falcons managed to stave off foul trouble and a late Fresno State surge to claim a 71-68 win.
Saturday's contest marked the third home game out of the last four for the Falcons which was decided by a single score, and the fifth of the season which turned into a one-possession game within the final minute.
Freshman Milahnie Perry led Falcon scoring for the second-straight game, posting 17 points behind 5-8 (.625) shooting and 3-4 from three-point range. Sophomore Madison Smith and senior Nikki McDonald added 15 and 14 points respectively, marking Smith's fifth game out of the last six to score in double digits.
The Falcons (8-10, 3-3 MW) rode a hot start to a 21-14 lead at the end of the first quarter behind 9-11 (.818) shooting and two threes. Early on, the two teams traded baskets to a 6-6 game, before Air Force took off on a 10-2 run, pushing as much as a nine-point advantage in the final minutes of the opening quarter.
Leading into the second, Fresno (8-11, 1-5 MW) settled into its offensive rhythm, outscoring Air Force 20-14. After Heath opened the quarter with a contested layup along the baseline to extend the Falcons' lead to nine, the Bulldogs put together an 8-0 run to cut the Falcons' lead to one. Up 29-28 with just over two minutes remaining in the half, a three-pointer from Fresno's Daylee Dunn gave the Bulldogs their first – and only – lead of the contest with 1:50 left on the clock.
Down four with the shot clock off, senior Kamri Heath, along the left wing, pitched the ball up top to Perry, who made good on her three-pointer with two seconds left. As Perry's shot falls, freshman Faith Shelton drew a foul under the basket from Dunn with Fresno in the bonus, sending Shelton to the line. Two successful free throws from Shelton capped a five-point play, suddenly awarding the Falcons with a 35-34 lead at halftime.
Another strong showing from the Falcons coming out of the locker room bought them the breathing room they ultimately needed to hold on for a win. Air Force, after scoring just five points in as many minutes, managed to outscore Fresno 18-7 down the back half of the quarter, with McDonald making a pair of three-pointers to end the third which included beating the buzzer to lift Air Force to a 13-point lead.
The Bulldogs managed a near-comeback in the fourth quarter after opening on a 10-0 run which cut Air Force's lead back to three just within two and a half minutes of play before another Perry three-pointer cut off the Fresno State advance. A pair of made free-throws and a driving layup for Amaya West brought Fresno State back within two points, after which Perry responded with four points of her own to keep Air Force out to a six-point lead with 4:25 remaining.
Just up three approaching the final minute of regulation, a travel turnover gave possession back to Fresno State with a chance to potentially tie the game. Smith managed to get a hand on the in-bounds pass, kicking it out to Perry inside the key, where she drew a shooting foul, made two free throws and awarded the Falcons with a 69-64 lead entering the final minute.
A pair of made free throws on the other end after a Smith foul, and a basket from West cut the Falcons' lead back to one.
Despite being outscored by Fresno 23-13 in the final quarter and missing on four-straight free throws to close the game, the Falcons managed to keep a grip on their lead behind two key turnovers forced by McDonald in the final minute. In both of the Falcons' final two possessions, McDonald managed to force a steal, holding off any scoring threat from the Bulldogs and sending the senior to the free-throw line with five seconds remaining.
Air Force women's basketball is back in Clune Arena on Monday to host San Jose State at 6:30 p.m.
Team Stats
Fresno
USAFA
FG%
.524
.446
3FG%
.500
.500
FT%
.690
.652
RB
38
21
TO
28
15
STL
5
12
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
17
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
4
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
14
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
8
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
C/F
/ Women's BasketballG
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