Thursday, November 2
USAFA, Colo.
6:30 PM MT
Air Force Academy
vs
Colorado Christian (Exhibition)
Women’s basketball reins in 2023-24 hosting Colorado Christian in exhibition
11/1/2023 10:22:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Air Force vs. Colorado Christian (Exhibition)
Thursday, Nov. 2 | 6:30 p.m. MT | Clune Arena
Air Force | Colorado Christian
Mountain West
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Basketball returns to the Academy on Thursday evening as the 46th year of Air Force women's basketball and ninth installment of the Chris Gobrecht era gets underway in Clune Arena, as the Falcons host Colorado Christian in exhibition at 6:30 p.m.
Next-Gen Air Force:
The 2023-24 Falcons roster seven freshmen, the largest class at Air Force since the 2016-17 season and the largest in the Mountain West this season (Alexis Cortez, Jordyn Devaughn, Marissa Hargrave, Jayda McNabb, Keelie O'Hollaren, Clara Teigland, Grace Walsh).
Taking the Hard Road:
Air Force plays four non-conference Power Five opponents in 2023-24 (Houston, Colorado, Washington, Clemson), the most in the MW. In the history of te program, the Falcons have never defeated a Power Five program.
A Toast to the Host:
Air Force is one of six Mountain West members hosting a Power Five opponent in 2023-24; The Falcons face Colorado at Clune Arena on Dec. 2 after trailing CU last season by just one possession in the final minute in Boulder.
Air Force hosts two programs featured in the first AP Top-25 poll of 2023-24; Colorado (Feb. 2) opened the year at No. 20, while Mountain West foe UNLV (Jan. 13) received two votes.
In 2022-23, Colorado closed its season with a 25-9 record, a Sweet 16 run in the NCAA Tournament and the No. 15 spot in final AP poll, while current reigning MW champion UNLV climbed as high as 22.
Texas Two-Step:
Air Force faces both Houston (Nov. 10) and SMU (Dec. 21) at unique milestones for both opponents; UH opens its inaugural season as a member of the Big 12 hosting the Falcons, and Air Force will be SMU's final regular season nonconference opponent before joining the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2024.
An Historic Reunion:
The Falcons face off against Washington on Nov. 25 in the Rainbow Wahine Showdown in Honolulu, Hawaii. Head Coach Chris Gobrecht is the current all-time winningest coach at both Air Force and Washington. Leading the Washington program from 1985-96, Gobrecht guided Washington to three Pac 10 titles and eight NCAA tournament appearances. Gobrecht was the first women's basketball coach to lead Washington for five consecutive seasons, the first to win 100 games, and the first to reach the 300-win milestone in her career. Gobrecht and Washington's successes made the Huskies the most attended women's collegiate program in a major city at the time.
Maddie Ice:
In the second season of her intercollegiate career, sophomore Madison Smith stepped into a significant role for the Falcons, averaging 25 minutes and a team-high 12.8 points per game after averaging just six minutes of floor time in 2021-22. Smith accounted for over 23 percent of the Falcon's successful three-point attempts; 36-104 from three-point land marks a team high in made three-pointers and attempts.
Smith reset her career high on Jan. 5 in the Falcons' 77-64 win over San Jose State, going 5-7 from three-point range for a 23-point night at the Provident Credit Union Event Center. Smith would tie that figure two more times on the season, spearheading a ten-point come back at Utah State (Jan. 19), then leading Air Force to a 74-59 victory in the Falcons' first-ever win at Fresno State (Feb. 2).
A 14-14 showing from the free-throw line in the Falcons' comeback win at Utah State marked the most made free-throws in a game in 2022-23 among Mountain West competitors while going perfect from the stripe. 14 made free throws in a single game while finishing perfect from the free throw line tied for third-best performance from the stripe in 2022-23 and was two short of tying the top mark.
Service Before Self:
Sophomore Jo Huntimer leads Air Force in total assists (131), assists per game (4.2) and assist/turnover ratio (2.30, 25th nationally) - all top-four figures among Mountain West competitors. On the defensive side, Huntimer led the program in total steals (70) and steals per game (2.26). Huntimer logged multiple steals in 21 of the Falcons' 31 games, posting a career-high six against Colorado on Nov. 19 and tying that figure against Boise State (Feb. 17) and New Mexico (Feb. 23).
Jo Huntimer's 253 career assists currently puts her fourth in Air Force's DI history and tenth all-time; six more will tie third in DI history (Raimee Beck, 2007-11), and seven will tie ninth all-time (Kristin Hillery, 1989-93).
Huntimer will miss a number of games down the front portion of 2023-24 after suffering an ACL tear in the quarterfinal round of the 2023 Mountain West Championships.
Defend Your Castle:
Air Force closed 2022-23 with a 9-5 record in Clune Arena, with home wins over Navy, Adams State, UCCS, UTEP, Utah State, Fresno State, San Jose State and Colorado State and Nevada. Two of the Falcons' home losses (73-70 vs. Utah Tech, 61-60 vs. Wyoming) fell to the final possession of regulation.
A 5-1 start to the season in Clune marks a standard which had not been achieved since the program's final year as a member of Division II in 1995-96, in which Air Force opened at 7-1 at home before closing its season at 7-3.
Cardiac Cadets:
14 games in 2022-23 were decided by two possessions or less, with six of those games falling to a single possession. At Colorado (Nov. 19), the Falcons trailed by two points entering the final minute of regulation before falling by eight, threatening the program's first-ever win against a Power Five opponent. At Northwestern (Dec. 17), Air Force led their Big Ten opponent with 2:30 remaining in regulation before the Wildcats slipped away, winning 64-58. All 31 games in 2022-23 were decided in regulation.
2023 MW Postseason Honors:
Madison Smith: All-MW Honorable Mention
Milahnie Perry: All-MW Freshman Team
Coach G Gaining Ground:
Head Coach Chris Gobrecht served her 43rd season as a Division I 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, 2022 home opener against Navy.
Capping her eighth season at the head of the Falcons' program, Coach Gobrecht currently has 69 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 19-14 season – A year punctuated by Gobrecht's fourth career WNIT appearance as a head coach, and the Falcons' first-ever postseason appearance and subsequent win in program history – a 64-60 victory over WCC opponent San Francisco on March 17.
Last Time Out:
The 2022-23 season for the Air Force women's basketball team came to a close on March 5, as the Falcons were outpaced by San Jose State, falling 62-51 at the Thomas and Mack Center in the opening round of the Mountain West Tournament.
Senior Nikki McDonald led Air Force in the final game of her intercollegiate career, earning 13 points on 5-8 shooting; Freshman Faith Shelton followed up with eight.
2023-24 Season Opener:
Air Force opens its 2023-24 non-conference stretch on Monday, Nov. 6, seeking its fourth-straight win over Denver.
Thursday, Nov. 2 | 6:30 p.m. MT | Clune Arena
Air Force | Colorado Christian
Mountain West
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Basketball returns to the Academy on Thursday evening as the 46th year of Air Force women's basketball and ninth installment of the Chris Gobrecht era gets underway in Clune Arena, as the Falcons host Colorado Christian in exhibition at 6:30 p.m.
Next-Gen Air Force:
The 2023-24 Falcons roster seven freshmen, the largest class at Air Force since the 2016-17 season and the largest in the Mountain West this season (Alexis Cortez, Jordyn Devaughn, Marissa Hargrave, Jayda McNabb, Keelie O'Hollaren, Clara Teigland, Grace Walsh).
Taking the Hard Road:
Air Force plays four non-conference Power Five opponents in 2023-24 (Houston, Colorado, Washington, Clemson), the most in the MW. In the history of te program, the Falcons have never defeated a Power Five program.
A Toast to the Host:
Air Force is one of six Mountain West members hosting a Power Five opponent in 2023-24; The Falcons face Colorado at Clune Arena on Dec. 2 after trailing CU last season by just one possession in the final minute in Boulder.
Air Force hosts two programs featured in the first AP Top-25 poll of 2023-24; Colorado (Feb. 2) opened the year at No. 20, while Mountain West foe UNLV (Jan. 13) received two votes.
In 2022-23, Colorado closed its season with a 25-9 record, a Sweet 16 run in the NCAA Tournament and the No. 15 spot in final AP poll, while current reigning MW champion UNLV climbed as high as 22.
Texas Two-Step:
Air Force faces both Houston (Nov. 10) and SMU (Dec. 21) at unique milestones for both opponents; UH opens its inaugural season as a member of the Big 12 hosting the Falcons, and Air Force will be SMU's final regular season nonconference opponent before joining the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2024.
An Historic Reunion:
The Falcons face off against Washington on Nov. 25 in the Rainbow Wahine Showdown in Honolulu, Hawaii. Head Coach Chris Gobrecht is the current all-time winningest coach at both Air Force and Washington. Leading the Washington program from 1985-96, Gobrecht guided Washington to three Pac 10 titles and eight NCAA tournament appearances. Gobrecht was the first women's basketball coach to lead Washington for five consecutive seasons, the first to win 100 games, and the first to reach the 300-win milestone in her career. Gobrecht and Washington's successes made the Huskies the most attended women's collegiate program in a major city at the time.
Maddie Ice:
In the second season of her intercollegiate career, sophomore Madison Smith stepped into a significant role for the Falcons, averaging 25 minutes and a team-high 12.8 points per game after averaging just six minutes of floor time in 2021-22. Smith accounted for over 23 percent of the Falcon's successful three-point attempts; 36-104 from three-point land marks a team high in made three-pointers and attempts.
Smith reset her career high on Jan. 5 in the Falcons' 77-64 win over San Jose State, going 5-7 from three-point range for a 23-point night at the Provident Credit Union Event Center. Smith would tie that figure two more times on the season, spearheading a ten-point come back at Utah State (Jan. 19), then leading Air Force to a 74-59 victory in the Falcons' first-ever win at Fresno State (Feb. 2).
A 14-14 showing from the free-throw line in the Falcons' comeback win at Utah State marked the most made free-throws in a game in 2022-23 among Mountain West competitors while going perfect from the stripe. 14 made free throws in a single game while finishing perfect from the free throw line tied for third-best performance from the stripe in 2022-23 and was two short of tying the top mark.
Service Before Self:
Sophomore Jo Huntimer leads Air Force in total assists (131), assists per game (4.2) and assist/turnover ratio (2.30, 25th nationally) - all top-four figures among Mountain West competitors. On the defensive side, Huntimer led the program in total steals (70) and steals per game (2.26). Huntimer logged multiple steals in 21 of the Falcons' 31 games, posting a career-high six against Colorado on Nov. 19 and tying that figure against Boise State (Feb. 17) and New Mexico (Feb. 23).
Jo Huntimer's 253 career assists currently puts her fourth in Air Force's DI history and tenth all-time; six more will tie third in DI history (Raimee Beck, 2007-11), and seven will tie ninth all-time (Kristin Hillery, 1989-93).
Huntimer will miss a number of games down the front portion of 2023-24 after suffering an ACL tear in the quarterfinal round of the 2023 Mountain West Championships.
Defend Your Castle:
Air Force closed 2022-23 with a 9-5 record in Clune Arena, with home wins over Navy, Adams State, UCCS, UTEP, Utah State, Fresno State, San Jose State and Colorado State and Nevada. Two of the Falcons' home losses (73-70 vs. Utah Tech, 61-60 vs. Wyoming) fell to the final possession of regulation.
A 5-1 start to the season in Clune marks a standard which had not been achieved since the program's final year as a member of Division II in 1995-96, in which Air Force opened at 7-1 at home before closing its season at 7-3.
Cardiac Cadets:
14 games in 2022-23 were decided by two possessions or less, with six of those games falling to a single possession. At Colorado (Nov. 19), the Falcons trailed by two points entering the final minute of regulation before falling by eight, threatening the program's first-ever win against a Power Five opponent. At Northwestern (Dec. 17), Air Force led their Big Ten opponent with 2:30 remaining in regulation before the Wildcats slipped away, winning 64-58. All 31 games in 2022-23 were decided in regulation.
2023 MW Postseason Honors:
Madison Smith: All-MW Honorable Mention
Milahnie Perry: All-MW Freshman Team
Coach G Gaining Ground:
Head Coach Chris Gobrecht served her 43rd season as a Division I 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, 2022 home opener against Navy.
Capping her eighth season at the head of the Falcons' program, Coach Gobrecht currently has 69 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 19-14 season – A year punctuated by Gobrecht's fourth career WNIT appearance as a head coach, and the Falcons' first-ever postseason appearance and subsequent win in program history – a 64-60 victory over WCC opponent San Francisco on March 17.
Last Time Out:
The 2022-23 season for the Air Force women's basketball team came to a close on March 5, as the Falcons were outpaced by San Jose State, falling 62-51 at the Thomas and Mack Center in the opening round of the Mountain West Tournament.
Senior Nikki McDonald led Air Force in the final game of her intercollegiate career, earning 13 points on 5-8 shooting; Freshman Faith Shelton followed up with eight.
2023-24 Season Opener:
Air Force opens its 2023-24 non-conference stretch on Monday, Nov. 6, seeking its fourth-straight win over Denver.
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