Falcons win turnover battle to overcome UCCS

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – The Air Force women's basketball team inched past its hometown neighbor on Tuesday evening, defeating UCCS, 61-56 in Clune Arena.

The Falcons (5-4, 0-0 MW) generated 27 points behind 34 forced turnovers on the evening, dwarfing the Falcons' previous season high (vs. Army West Point, Nov. 17). 22 steals in the game denotes an Air Force Division I program record, surpassing two 21-steal outings in 2022-23, against both Adams State (Nov. 16, 2022) and UCCS (Dec. 7, 2022). Seven Falcons logged one steal on the evening, with Britt and Perry both earning five apiece, both setting career benchmarks in the category.

The Air Force starting five – Madison Smith, Milahnie Perry, Taylor Britt, Jayda McNabb and Dasha Macmillan – accounted for all but two of Air Force's points in the contest, with the standalone bucket belonging to freshman Alexis Cortez, who logged her first and only points of the evening off a turnaround jumper along the left baseline with 2:47 remaining in the contest. Smith (20 points, season high), Perry (16 points) and McNabb (13 points) led scoring on both teams on Tuesday. Air Force is 5-0 in games with three or more players scoring ten or more points.

Despite the staggering defensive numbers for the Falcons, UCCS managed to reciprocate much of the trouble Air Force gave them in the contest. The Mountain Lions turned over the Falcons 22 times, generating 17 steals – a figure which tied Big 12 opponent Houston for a season high against Air Force. Rylie Ottmann's five steals against the Falcons were the most Air Force has faced by a single player this season.

Freshman Jayda McNabb earned the first double-double of her collegiate career, going for 13 points and 12 rebounds (team season high) on the evening. Tuesday evening marks McNabb's second outing to score in double digits and third with ten or more rebounds.

Smith's eight successful field goals were the second-most of an Air Force player so far this season, behind freshman Keelie O'Hollaren's nine against Army.

The contest seemed well in-hand for Air Force nearing the end of the opening half, as the Falcons led by as much as 15 in the final four minutes of the second quarter. UCCS managed to take advantage of missed shots and a bevy of late Air Force turnovers to trail by just seven at the halftime buzzer. Smith and Perry finished the first half with 24 of the Falcons' 35 points, leading UCCS 35-28 and finishing with 13 and 11, respectively. Both teams combined for 28 turnovers at half, with Air Force earning 18 and generating 18 points as a result.

In the third, the Falcons took off on a 12-0 run, with three-straight scoring drives generated from Air Force steals and back-to-back takeaways for Macmillan to again push the lead out to 15.

UCCS ultimately would outscore the Falcons in the final quarter, shooting 46 percent on a game-high 13 field goal attempts and making a second push to regain its first lead since the opening minutes of the contest. The Mountain Lions entered the final minute of regulation on a 5-0 run, but ultimately ceded a 61-56 victory.

Up Next:
Northern Colorado marks the third leg of Air Force women's basketball's four-game home stand, with the contest on Saturday, Dec. 9 at 1 p.m.

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Team Stats

Madison Smith

Milahnie Perry

Jayda McNabb

Dasha Macmillan

Players Mentioned

Taylor Britt

Alexis Cortez

Dasha Macmillan

Jayda McNabb

Keelie O'Hollaren

Milahnie Perry

Madison Smith

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