Women’s basketball beats Army, 83-61 behind second-half outburst

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – For the first time since 2005, the Air Force women's basketball team shut down Army at home, defeating the Black Knights, 83-61, in Clune Arena.

Having already posted double-digit nights in both prior home games to start her Air Force career, freshman Keelie O'Hollaren broke loose on Friday evening to the tune of 24 points on 9-18 shooting. With the Falcons beginning to gap Army down the final minutes of the third quarter, O'Hollaren ripped off eight points inside of 60 seconds including a pair of three-pointers on consecutive drives, pushing Air Force out to an 18-point advantage that ultimately could not be made up.

Including O'Hollaren's 24, junior Madison Smith added 15 on the evening, with sophomore Milahnie Perry earning 12 of her own; senior Dasha Macmillan put up nine points on 4-8 from the field.

Army looked the offender in the first quarter of the contest, leading by as much as nine points in the early stages of the game behind 75 percent shooting. It was a 12-2 run facilitated entirely by Air Force freshmen which reined in Army and reclaimed the lead for the Falcons capped by a three-pointer for Grace Walsh at the 1:26 mark.

At the open of the third, Army led by as much as four points before a 17-4 onslaught had the Falcons out to its largest lead of the evening before O'Hollaren's eight-point outburst paved the way to a 65-46 lead with a quarter to go.

Turnovers proved Army's downfall on Friday evening, as the Falcons' press forced 27 on the night, which in turn generated 36 Air Force points; four Falcons (Smith, Perry, McNabb, O'Hollaren) committed multiple steals, with O'Hollaren's four leading both teams.

The Falcons' 30 points in the third quarter is the most by Air Force since posting 36 against Nebraska Wesleyan in the first quarter at home on Dec. 30, 2019.

O'Hollaren on a slow start, adjusted to a career night:
"There's one thing that (current Army player and former high school teammate Reese Ericson) used to tell me as a freshman in high school, and that's if its not going in, get to the free-throw line. And after those first free throws went in, (it got a lot better), and I felt ready to attack the second half and leave the first behind and see what I can do."

O'Hollaren on maximizing her opportunities on the floor:
"(This is) an exciting place to play and I'm just grateful for the opportunity to be here. I just want to make the most of it, come out and provide for the team what I can. If that's shooting then great.

Head Coach Chris Gobrecht on the Falcons' endurance and sustaining through 40 minutes:
I thought that was the best thing that we took a step forward on. I felt like we played 40 minutes. And I thought that they played really well that first quarter and hit some shots that were a little surprising. We kind of weathered that and stayed on task until we could break through. That's something that we have not done this year.

Coach on Alexis Cortez running the floor against Army and being rewarded in the paint:
"She's very fast, and of course we play her like a four-spot, and so it's significant that we have a kid that can run the floor like that. Alexis is a really intelligent basketball player; she's a very good athlete and has played at a high level all of her career. And that's why she's able to step in and help right away.

Up Next:
Air Force women's basketball is off to Honolulu to face off against Hawaii, Washington and Idaho State in the Rainbow Wahine Showdown, Nov. 24-26.

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