Saturday, December 9
USAFA, Colo.
1:00 PM MT
Air Force Academy
vs
Northern Colorado
Women’s Basketball to host Northern Colorado on Saturday
12/8/2023 12:11:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Air Force (5-4, 0-0 MW) vs. Northern Colorado (3-3, 0-0 Big Sky)
Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023 | 1:00 p.m. MT
Clune Arena – USAFA, Colo.
Watch: Mountain West Network (Brian Jerman, Rachel Galligan)
Live Scoring: StatBroadcast
Air Force | Northern Colorado | Mountain West
Facebook | X | Instagram
At the halfway mark of its four-game home stand, Air Force women's basketball returns to Clune Arena on Saturday afternoon to host the first of a pair of Big Sky opponents, facing Northern Colorado a 1 p.m. MT.
Quick Hits:
Coaches' Numbers:
Falcons at a Glance:
Through non-conference play, Air Force scoring is led by Milahnie Perry and Madison Smith, both averaging 14.3 points per game.
The Falcons currently rank 26th nationally in turnovers forced (20.78) and 32nd in steals per game (11.4). Senior Taylor Britt and Madison Smith lead Air Force in steals per game with 3.00 and 2.78, respectively, both ranking 25th and 39th in the category among Division I players.
Freshman starting guard Jayda McNabb's 4.3 offensive rebounds per game ranks 14th in the nation. At 5'10", McNabb is one of four players in the country ranking top 25 in offensive boards shorter than 6'0".
Tip of the Spear:
Perry leads the Falcons in total points (129), points per game (14.3) and field goal attempts (131). Sporting a season-high 19 at Houston (Nov. 10), Perry has scored in double digits in all nine games to open 2023-24.
Air Force is Undefeated When...
- Three or more Falcons score in double-digits (5-0);
- Leading with five minutes to go (4-0);
- Out-rebounding opponents (4-0);
- Outscoring opponents in the paint (3-0);
- Leading in second-chance points (5-0);
- Bench outscores opponents (3-0);
- Home opponents score less than 70 (4-0);
- Holding opponents to 15 or less made FTs at home (4-0);
- Making more three-point attempts at home than opponents (3-0).
Scouting Northern Colorado:
In search of its first pair of consecutive wins in 2023-24, UNC makes its return to Clune Arena for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
Senior Delaynie Byrne leads UNC in field goal percentage (.547), three-point percentage (.514, 12th nationally), points per game (18.5) and rebounding (8.3). In UNC's most recent game (Northern New Mexico College, Dec. 3), Byrne led the floor with 25 points on 8-for-14 shooting from the field, including a 4-6 clip from three-point range. In the same game, Byrne also led the floor with 12 rebounds.
Three Bears (Byrne, Hannah Simental, Seneca Hackley) average .350 or higher from three, with Byrne and Simental posting .514 (18-35) and .429 (15-35), respectively.
Last Time/All-Time Against UNC:
Sporting a dead-even 22-22 all time record against Northern Colorado, Air Force seeks just its second win over the Bears since winning five-straight from 2003-2006. Since then, the Falcons are 1-9 in their last ten meetings with UNC. The lone win took place Nov. 28, 2018, defeating the Bears 69-57 snapping an eight-game losing streak to UNC in Chris Gobrecht's fourth season at Air Force.
Next-Gen Fighters:
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. The newest cadre of cadets under Chris Gobrecht have had an immediate impact in 2023-24:
Jayda McNabb earned the first double-double of her collegiate career, going for 13 points and 12 rebounds (team season high) in the Falcons' 61-56 win over UCCS (Dec. 5). Tuesday evening marked McNabb's second outing to score in double digits and her third with ten or more rebounds.
Keelie O'Hollaren leads Air Force in three-point percentage (.306) and successful three-point attempts (15); Jayda McNabb tops the Falcons in blocks (9) and rebounds per game (6.8, ). McNabb rankes 14th in the nation in offensive boards per game (4.3).
In Air Force's 83-61 win over Army (Nov. 17), O'Hollaren broke loose 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.
At Houston (Nov. 10), McNabb, in her second career start, earned six points, ten rebounds (game-high) and a block in 33 minutes; O'Hollaren logged seven points and four rebounds in 15 minutes.
In the Falcons' home-opening win against Denver on Nov. 6, O'Hollaren logged 16 points on 4-6 from three-point range; McNabb, starting in her intercollegiate debut, totaled nine points on the evening and three blocks – one more than any individual Falcon had in 2022-23; Alexis Cortez, in 19 minutes played, logged five points, seven rebounds, two assists and a steal.
Cardiac Cadets:
Four of the Falcons' nine games to start 2023-24 have fallen to a two-possession-or-less margin, with the most recent being a 61-56 win over UCCS on Dec. 5.
At the Rainbow Wahine Showdown, (Nov. 24-26), games against both Hawaii (W, 54-51) and Idaho State (L, 55-52) both fell to a single possession at the end of regulation.
Air Force's 65-63 win over Denver at Clune Arena (Nov. 6) in the Falcons' home opener fell to a decisive foul drawn by Madison Smith with just 1.5 seconds remaining in regulation to send her to the free throw line. Smith's pair of successful makes proved game winning.
14 games in 2022-23 were decided by two possessions or less, with six contests 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. Air Force has not played in overtime since defeating UTEP in double overtime in El Paso on Dec. 21, 2021.
Last Time Out:
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 outscored 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.
Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023 | 1:00 p.m. MT
Clune Arena – USAFA, Colo.
Watch: Mountain West Network (Brian Jerman, Rachel Galligan)
Live Scoring: StatBroadcast
Air Force | Northern Colorado | Mountain West
Facebook | X | Instagram
At the halfway mark of its four-game home stand, Air Force women's basketball returns to Clune Arena on Saturday afternoon to host the first of a pair of Big Sky opponents, facing Northern Colorado a 1 p.m. MT.
Quick Hits:
| Air Force: | Northern Colorado: | |
| Record: | 5-4 (0-0 MW) | 3-3 (0-0 Big Sky) |
| Last Game: | vs. UCCS (W, 61-56) | vs. Northern NM College (W, 96-37) |
| Next Game: | vs. Weber State (Dec. 16) | at Utah State (Dec. 16) |
| 2022-23 Record: | 13-18 (8-10 MW) | 13-18 (5-13 Big Sky) |
| 2022-23 Finish: | Conference Quarterfinal | Conference Quarterfinal |
Coaches' Numbers:
| Air Force: | Northern Colorado: | |
| Head Coach: | Chris Gobrecht | Kristen Mattio |
| Alma Mater/Year: | USC, 1977 | Evangel, 2003 |
| Record w/ Program: | 74-176 (2015-Current) | 31-37 (2021-Current) |
Falcons at a Glance:
Through non-conference play, Air Force scoring is led by Milahnie Perry and Madison Smith, both averaging 14.3 points per game.
The Falcons currently rank 26th nationally in turnovers forced (20.78) and 32nd in steals per game (11.4). Senior Taylor Britt and Madison Smith lead Air Force in steals per game with 3.00 and 2.78, respectively, both ranking 25th and 39th in the category among Division I players.
Freshman starting guard Jayda McNabb's 4.3 offensive rebounds per game ranks 14th in the nation. At 5'10", McNabb is one of four players in the country ranking top 25 in offensive boards shorter than 6'0".
Tip of the Spear:
Perry leads the Falcons in total points (129), points per game (14.3) and field goal attempts (131). Sporting a season-high 19 at Houston (Nov. 10), Perry has scored in double digits in all nine games to open 2023-24.
Air Force is Undefeated When...
- Three or more Falcons score in double-digits (5-0);
- Leading with five minutes to go (4-0);
- Out-rebounding opponents (4-0);
- Outscoring opponents in the paint (3-0);
- Leading in second-chance points (5-0);
- Bench outscores opponents (3-0);
- Home opponents score less than 70 (4-0);
- Holding opponents to 15 or less made FTs at home (4-0);
- Making more three-point attempts at home than opponents (3-0).
Scouting Northern Colorado:
In search of its first pair of consecutive wins in 2023-24, UNC makes its return to Clune Arena for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
Senior Delaynie Byrne leads UNC in field goal percentage (.547), three-point percentage (.514, 12th nationally), points per game (18.5) and rebounding (8.3). In UNC's most recent game (Northern New Mexico College, Dec. 3), Byrne led the floor with 25 points on 8-for-14 shooting from the field, including a 4-6 clip from three-point range. In the same game, Byrne also led the floor with 12 rebounds.
Three Bears (Byrne, Hannah Simental, Seneca Hackley) average .350 or higher from three, with Byrne and Simental posting .514 (18-35) and .429 (15-35), respectively.
Last Time/All-Time Against UNC:
Sporting a dead-even 22-22 all time record against Northern Colorado, Air Force seeks just its second win over the Bears since winning five-straight from 2003-2006. Since then, the Falcons are 1-9 in their last ten meetings with UNC. The lone win took place Nov. 28, 2018, defeating the Bears 69-57 snapping an eight-game losing streak to UNC in Chris Gobrecht's fourth season at Air Force.
Next-Gen Fighters:
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. The newest cadre of cadets under Chris Gobrecht have had an immediate impact in 2023-24:
Jayda McNabb earned the first double-double of her collegiate career, going for 13 points and 12 rebounds (team season high) in the Falcons' 61-56 win over UCCS (Dec. 5). Tuesday evening marked McNabb's second outing to score in double digits and her third with ten or more rebounds.
Keelie O'Hollaren leads Air Force in three-point percentage (.306) and successful three-point attempts (15); Jayda McNabb tops the Falcons in blocks (9) and rebounds per game (6.8, ). McNabb rankes 14th in the nation in offensive boards per game (4.3).
In Air Force's 83-61 win over Army (Nov. 17), O'Hollaren broke loose 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.
At Houston (Nov. 10), McNabb, in her second career start, earned six points, ten rebounds (game-high) and a block in 33 minutes; O'Hollaren logged seven points and four rebounds in 15 minutes.
In the Falcons' home-opening win against Denver on Nov. 6, O'Hollaren logged 16 points on 4-6 from three-point range; McNabb, starting in her intercollegiate debut, totaled nine points on the evening and three blocks – one more than any individual Falcon had in 2022-23; Alexis Cortez, in 19 minutes played, logged five points, seven rebounds, two assists and a steal.
Cardiac Cadets:
Four of the Falcons' nine games to start 2023-24 have fallen to a two-possession-or-less margin, with the most recent being a 61-56 win over UCCS on Dec. 5.
At the Rainbow Wahine Showdown, (Nov. 24-26), games against both Hawaii (W, 54-51) and Idaho State (L, 55-52) both fell to a single possession at the end of regulation.
Air Force's 65-63 win over Denver at Clune Arena (Nov. 6) in the Falcons' home opener fell to a decisive foul drawn by Madison Smith with just 1.5 seconds remaining in regulation to send her to the free throw line. Smith's pair of successful makes proved game winning.
14 games in 2022-23 were decided by two possessions or less, with six contests 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. Air Force has not played in overtime since defeating UTEP in double overtime in El Paso on Dec. 21, 2021.
Last Time Out:
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 outscored 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.
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