Women’s basketball unable to hold on, falls to Idaho State

HONOLULU – Despite holding a lead for the majority of the contest, the Air Force women's basketball team lost its grip late in game three of the Rainbow Wahine Showdown, falling 55-52 to Idaho State on Sunday afternoon in Honolulu.

Sophomore Milahnie Perry led Air Force in scoring for the third-straight evening after posting 12 points on Sunday. Perry, earning double-digits in each appearance at the Rainbow Wahine Showdown, finished the event averaging 14.33 points through three games. Junior Madison Smith followed up adding ten points of her own. Smith completed her time in Hawaii a perfect 10-10 from the free-throw line – The only player in the four-team field to finish perfect from the stripe.

The bulk of the contest, the Falcons struggled to complete shots, closing the contest 16-50 (.320) from the field; Second-chance points underscored the Bengals' recipe for success, as Air Force (4-3) allowed 13 second-chance points to Idaho State, generated from 18 offensive boards for the Bengals.

The Falcons managed to get out to a quick 5-0 lead in the opening minutes of the contest and held it until the final minute of the first, finishing the first quarter down just 12-11.

Entering the second quarter, the Falcons looked the superior offense as Air Force outscored the Bengals 18-8, the bulk of which took place during a 14-2 run between the six and two-minute marks and was fueled largely behind five points for senior Taylor Britt. During the spurt, freshman Jordyn Devaughn logged the first three-pointer of her Air Force career, and sophomore Parker Brown earned her first points of the season. The collective effort swelled the Falcons' lead by as much as 12 and resulted in an Air Force lead 29-20 at half.

From there, Air Force never quite found its momentum, as a 7-0 the Bengals opened on a 7-0 run in the second half. The Falcons were able to chip their way back to a tie at the end of the third quarter off of free throws, but only managed one shot – a pullup jumper from Britt – in the last six minutes of the third.

ISU took its final lead in the early seconds of the fourth quarter, but the Falcons managed to keep the score within manageable distance. A clutch three-pointer from Dasha Macmillian with 20 seconds to go cut the Bengals' lead back to two, but free throws down the stretch managed to keep Air Force at bay.

Up Next:
Air Force women's basketball returns to Clune Arena to host current No. 3 Colorado on Saturday at 1 p.m. MT.

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