Air Force Academy
Wyoming
Women’s Basketball defends home record against Wyoming on Saturday afternoon
1/5/2024 11:57:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Air Force (8-7, 1-1 MW) vs. Wyoming (7-6, 2-0 MW)
Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024 | 1:00 p.m. MT
Clune Arena | U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo.
Watch: Mountain West Network (Brian Jerman, Rachel Galligan)
Listen: XtraSports AM 1300 (Ryan Kaufman)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Air Force Game Notes | Wyoming Game Notes
Air Force | Wyoming | Mountain West
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On the back end of a thrilling win for the Air Force women's basketball team in its Mountain West home opener on Wednesday, the Falcons' attention quickly turns to its next challenge as Wyoming makes its return to Clune Arena on Saturday afternoon.
Quick Hits:
| Air Force: | Wyoming: | |
| Record: | 8-7 (1-1 MW) | 7-6 (2-0 MW) |
| Last Game: | vs. San Diego State (W OT, 71-63) | at Utah State (W, 54-48) |
| Next Game: | at Nevada (Jan. 10) | vs. San Diego State (Jan. 10) |
| Location/Enrollment: | USAFA, Colo/4,000 | Laramie, Wyo./11,000 |
| 2022-23 Record: | 13-18 (8-10 MW) | 23-11 (13-5 MW) |
Coaches' Numbers:
| Air Force: | Wyoming: | |
| Head Coach: | Chris Gobrecht | Heather Ezell |
| Alma Mater/Year: | USC, 1977 | Iowa State, 2009 |
| Record w/ Program: | 77-179 (2015-Current) | 30-17 (2021-Current) |
| Career DI Record: | 619-652 (1979-Current) | 30-17 (2021-Current) |
Falcons at a Glance:
Air Force scoring is led by sophomore Milahnie Perry and Madison Smith, both averaging 15.3 and 12.3 points per game, respectively.
The Falcons rank 15th nationally in steals per game (12.3) behind Taylor Britt (2.87) and Madison Smith (2.60), who rank 24th and 45th nationally in the category. Britt's 43 total steals on the season ranks seventh in the country and leads the Mountain West, while Smith's 39 falls in at 18th. The Falcons also rank 23rd nationally and lead the conference in turnovers forced per game (21.47) and rank 321st in turnover margin (5.93).
Freshman Jayda McNabb's 4.0 offensive rebounds per game currently leads the Mountain West and places her 12th in Division I. At 5'10", McNabb is one of four players in the country shorter than 6'0" currently averaging 4.0 offensive boards or greater.
All-Time Against Wyoming:
Air Force has just four wins in the all-time series against Wyoming, all of which have taken place at the Academy and two of which have taken place during Chris Gobrecht's time as head coach.
Air Force is Undefeated Overall When...
- Scoring 70 or more points (4-0);
- Leading with five minutes to go (7-0);
- Shooting better than opponents (4-0);
- Out-rebounding opponents (5-0);
- Outscoring opponents in the paint (4-0);
Air Force is Undefeated in Clune Arena When...
- Leading opponents at halftime (4-0);
- Holding opponents to less than 70 points (5-0);
- Attempting less free throws than opponents (5-0);
- Attempting 15 or more free throws (5-0);
- Opponents attempt 15 or more free throws (6-0);
- Leading in second-chance points (7-0);
- Leading in points off the bench (5-0);
- Final score margin is nine points of less (3-0);
- An opponent player logs a double-double (3-0);
- Making more threes than opponents (5-0).
Air Superiority:
Perry leads the Falcons in total points (230) and points per game (15.3), and leads the Mountain West in field goal attempts (227, 16th).
Sporting a career-high 27 versus Weber State (Dec. 16), Perry has eanred double digit scoring in 13 of the Falcons' first 15 games to open 2023-24. Perry's 27 against Weber State was the Falcons' highest scoring individual performance since Kamri Heath earned 27 in Air Force's 2022-23 win over Navy (90-50, Nov. 11, 2022).
In the Falcons' following home contest against San Diego State on Dec. 3, Perry once again reset her career best, postin 28 in a 71-63 overtime victory over the Aztecs.
Scouting the Cowgirls:
Wyoming returns to the Academy sporting a 2-0 mark to open Mountain West competition and a 7-6 record to open the season - a season thus far highlighted by an 86-74 home win over BYU on Nov. 28.
The Cowgirls, returning only two starters from their 2022-23 season, are led once again by 6'4" center Allyson Fertig, who leads Wyoming in scoring (14.0 ppg) and field goal percentage (.570, 35th nationally). Fertig also serves as a force in the post, averaging 1.62 blocks per game and falls fourth in the Mountain West in rebounding (7.6 rpg).
Wyoming ranks second in the Mountain West in three-point defense, holding opponents to just 26.4 percent from range.
The Cowgirls' other returning starter, sophomore guard Malene Pedersen, meanwhile, is averaging 10.2 points a game behind .449 from the field and .880 from the free throw line (22-29).
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:
Jordyn Devaughn led the way in Air Force (7-5, 0-0 MW) scoring, earning a career-high 16 points at Clemson on Dec. 19. Fellow newcomer Keelie O'Hollaren followed up with 14 on 5-12 shooting and 4-8 from three-point range. Air Force finished the game with its second-best three-point percentage to this point of the season, shooting .387 while making a season-best 12 baskets from distance. An even .500 (28-56) from the field also marks a season-high in field goal percentage.
O'Hollaren's 15 points against Weber State (Dec. 16) were complimented by a 3-6 performance from three-point range, paving the way for the Falcons' 70-58 victory behind a season-best eight made threes.
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.
O'Hollaren leads Air Force in three-point percentage (.328) and successful three-point attempts (20); McNabb tops the Falcons in blocks (12) and rebounds per game (6.4).
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.
Freshman All-Time/Division I Record Watch:
Keelie O'Hollaren:
27 3PT -
31 ties tenth in DI history (Shawna Neff, 2000-01)
32 ties tenth all-time (Letricia Castillo, 2003-04)
82 3PTA -
88 ties tenth in DI history (Lauren Henderson, 2004-05)
88 ties tenth all-time (Lauren Henderson, 2005-05)
Jayda McNabb:
93 Rebounds -
106 ties tenth in DI history (Morgan Bennett, 1999-00)
154 ties tenth all-time (Emily Conroe, 2017-18)
29 Steals - Currently ranks tenth in freshman DI history
38 ties ninth in DI history (Emily Conroe, 2017-18)
40 ties tenth all-time (Raimee Beck, 2007-08, Becky Bridson, 1995-96)
12 Blocks - Currently ties for eighth in DI history and ninth all-time (ties Milahnie Perry in blocks in 2022-23)
13 ties seventh in DI history (Haley Jones, 2018-19)
13 ties eighth all-time (Haley Jones, 2018-19)
33 FTM -
49 ties tenth in DI history (Riley Snyder, 2018-19)
62 ties tenth all-time (Rozalyn Russ, 1998-99)
Last Time Out:
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.
