Third Quarter Surge Powers Women’s Basketball Past South Dakota

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – After a Friday night start that left the Air Force Women's Basketball team down by as much as 18 points in the first half against South Dakota, the Falcons rode a wave of dominance on both ends of the floor down the back half of the contest, surging toward a 73-66 win over the Coyotes in Clune Arena.

Senior Madison Smith's 23 points (9-19 FG, 3-7 3FG, 8 REB, 5 AST) and 16 in the second half fueled the Falcons' victory over a Coyotes program which earned a Super 16 bid in the WNIT just a few months prior. Sophomore Jayda McNabb earned a 16-point (career high), 10-rebound double-double, leading Falcon scoring throughout the first half and closing the night plus-22 for Air Force. Junior Milahnie Perry added 14 points to the Air Force tally.

Air Force found itself in an early hole after a 28 percent showing from the field – and a 6-10 first half from three for South Dakota – left the Falcons down 39-21 with just over three and a half minutes remaining before the half. Despite the bullish numbers, McNabb and Perry both managed to pull together a 7-0 run before heading to the locker room, cutting the South Dakota lead to 39-28.

The Falcons took off at the start of the second half, shooting 17-34 (.500) from the field to outscore South Dakota 30-14 in the third quarter. Starting at the eight-minute mark, Air Force put up a 17-3 run in under three minutes of play, going eight-for-eight from the field to erase South Dakota's early advantage. Sophomore Jordyn Devaughn (8 PTs, 3-6 FG, 2-4 3FG) capped the Falcons' furious comeback, landing a floating layup off the fast break, followed by a three-pointer on the following possession to give Air Force its first two-possession lead of the night.

Air Force's efforts kept up through the start of the fourth quarter, as Devaughn opened with her second three-pointer of the evening from the right corner. On the resulting South Dakota possession, McNabb landed a stifling block on South Dakota's Carley Duffney in the left corner to regain possession. McNabb then battled the offensive glass for a pair of boards, culminating in a Smith three-pointer from the top of the arc to put the Falcons up 64-55 with eight minutes remaining in the game. Seconds later, Smith, getting a steal on Duffney on the other end of the floor, landed a fast break jumper from near the elbow to put Air Force up by 11.

South Dakota, outscoring the Falcons 11-2 down the final four minutes of regulation to trail 69-66, put up a game-tying three-pointer with 14 seconds to go, but missed. In foul territory, the Coyotes sent Smith to the free-throw line, where she was able to make both attempts. On the other end, Perry managed to strip possession from Coyote Grace Larkins, effectively securing the Air Force win.

For the game, Air Force led South Dakota in steals (14), second chance points (19), points off of turnovers (20) and fast break points (16).

Up Next:
Air Force Women's Basketball (2-0, 0-0 MW) heads to Greeley for a Monday road contest at Northern Colorado.

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