Wednesday, January 3
USAFA, Colo.
6:30 PM MT
Air Force Academy
8-7,1-1Mountain West
71
vs
63
San Diego State
10-5,1-1Mountain West
1
2
3
4
OT 1
F
San Diego St.
16
15
13
12
7
63
Air Force
15
8
16
17
15
71
Perry, Falcons flex in overtime for marquee win over San Diego State
1/3/2024 10:53:00 PM | Women's Basketball
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – Returning to the Academy after a lengthy stay on the road and looking to open 2024 on the right foot, the Air Force women's basketball team earned a statement win on Wednesday evening, taking 10-4 San Diego State into its first overtime game in over two years and earning a 71-63 victory over SDSU to snap a six-game win streak for the Aztecs in Clune Arena.
The Falcons improved to 7-1 in Clune Arena to start 2023-24 – marking the program's best home start in its Division I history, and the first 7-1 start at the Academy since 1995-96.
Sophomore Milahnie Perry posted 28 points on the evening, leading the floor in points scored and resetting her career high for the second time this season, after doing the same in Air Force's last home game on Dec. 16 - a 70-58 win over Weber State. Eclipsing her previous career high with a free throw in the waning seconds of the game, Perry capped a crucial eight-point overtime performance which not only wrested a one-point lead from the hands of the Aztecs in the extra session, but also awarded Air Force with a seven-point, 65-58 lead with just under 90 seconds to go.
Down by as much as 12 points in the third quarter, Air Force (8-7, 1-1 MW) stormed back into the contest, as Madison Smith (12 pts, 7 reb, 2 stl) and freshman Keelie O'Hollaren (5 pts, 4 stl) put up a 40-second 8-0 run in the final minutes of the period to bring the Falcons back into a one-possession game.
The remainder of regulation saw neither team gain more than a two-possession advantage, but it was the Falcons who struck first, taking off on another 8-0 streak which bought Air Force its first lead of the contest after senior Dasha Macmillan drove the SDSU basket to claim 45-44 lead with 8:11 to go in the final quarter.
After three lead changes in the fourth quarter and with the contest entering its final minute, SDSU's Adryana Quezada took on a challenging O'Hollaren in the paint, driving the basket and floating in the tying attempt over O'Hollaren to even the tally at 54-all with 54 seconds to go. On the other end, Taylor Britt found Smith with an open look along the left baseline to score the potential game-winner with 33 seconds remaining, but Quezada responded in kind, driving the paint on the other end to tie the contest and force overtime.
With the Falcons trailing by a point at the 3:15 mark in the overtime period, Perry burned SDSU for seven points in just over a minute and a half of play, driving home a 10-0 Air Force run to give the Falcons a 67-58 lead and leaving the Aztecs with too much ground to cover with just over a minute to go.
On a night when defensive rebounding was being emphasized by the Falcon coaching staff, Air Force stepped up to the challenge, closing the evening with 25 boards off the defensive glass – its highest mark since defeating Northern Colorado on Dec. 9 – With Madison Smith's seven defensive rebounds leading the way. 35 total rebounds for the Falcons on Wednesday evening was its most since facing No. 7 Colorado on Dec. 2.
Wednesday's win over San Diego State marks the Falcons' fifth victory over the Aztecs in their last six contests, with Air Force improving to 10-7 over SDSU during Chris Gobrecht's tenure as head coach. The win also represents Air Force's first overtime victory since defeating Nevada on Jan. 19, 2019.
Up Next:
Air Force women's basketball returns to Clune Arena on Saturday, Jan. 6 to host Wyoming at 1 p.m.
The Falcons improved to 7-1 in Clune Arena to start 2023-24 – marking the program's best home start in its Division I history, and the first 7-1 start at the Academy since 1995-96.
Sophomore Milahnie Perry posted 28 points on the evening, leading the floor in points scored and resetting her career high for the second time this season, after doing the same in Air Force's last home game on Dec. 16 - a 70-58 win over Weber State. Eclipsing her previous career high with a free throw in the waning seconds of the game, Perry capped a crucial eight-point overtime performance which not only wrested a one-point lead from the hands of the Aztecs in the extra session, but also awarded Air Force with a seven-point, 65-58 lead with just under 90 seconds to go.
Down by as much as 12 points in the third quarter, Air Force (8-7, 1-1 MW) stormed back into the contest, as Madison Smith (12 pts, 7 reb, 2 stl) and freshman Keelie O'Hollaren (5 pts, 4 stl) put up a 40-second 8-0 run in the final minutes of the period to bring the Falcons back into a one-possession game.
The remainder of regulation saw neither team gain more than a two-possession advantage, but it was the Falcons who struck first, taking off on another 8-0 streak which bought Air Force its first lead of the contest after senior Dasha Macmillan drove the SDSU basket to claim 45-44 lead with 8:11 to go in the final quarter.
After three lead changes in the fourth quarter and with the contest entering its final minute, SDSU's Adryana Quezada took on a challenging O'Hollaren in the paint, driving the basket and floating in the tying attempt over O'Hollaren to even the tally at 54-all with 54 seconds to go. On the other end, Taylor Britt found Smith with an open look along the left baseline to score the potential game-winner with 33 seconds remaining, but Quezada responded in kind, driving the paint on the other end to tie the contest and force overtime.
With the Falcons trailing by a point at the 3:15 mark in the overtime period, Perry burned SDSU for seven points in just over a minute and a half of play, driving home a 10-0 Air Force run to give the Falcons a 67-58 lead and leaving the Aztecs with too much ground to cover with just over a minute to go.
On a night when defensive rebounding was being emphasized by the Falcon coaching staff, Air Force stepped up to the challenge, closing the evening with 25 boards off the defensive glass – its highest mark since defeating Northern Colorado on Dec. 9 – With Madison Smith's seven defensive rebounds leading the way. 35 total rebounds for the Falcons on Wednesday evening was its most since facing No. 7 Colorado on Dec. 2.
Wednesday's win over San Diego State marks the Falcons' fifth victory over the Aztecs in their last six contests, with Air Force improving to 10-7 over SDSU during Chris Gobrecht's tenure as head coach. The win also represents Air Force's first overtime victory since defeating Nevada on Jan. 19, 2019.
Up Next:
Air Force women's basketball returns to Clune Arena on Saturday, Jan. 6 to host Wyoming at 1 p.m.
Team Stats
SDSU
USAFA
FG%
.410
.366
3FG%
.167
.278
FT%
.786
.737
RB
47
35
TO
22
11
STL
3
15
Game Leaders
Pts
28
FGM
11
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
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