Sunday, December 29
USAFA, Colo.
1:00 PM MT
Air Force Academy
vs
New Mexico
Women’s Basketball Defends 6-0 Home Start on Sunday in Mountain West Opener
12/28/2024 1:46:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Air Force Women's Basketball makes its return to Clune Arena on Sunday afternoon, hosting New Mexico at 1 p.m. in defense of a 6-0 home record and its most successful season start in the program's Division I era.
Follow Along:
Sunday's conference opener will be aired on both Altitude Sports and the Mountain West Network with Justin Adams and Rachael Galligan in the booth; XtraSports AM 1300 will carry the radio broadcast with the voice of Air Force Women's Basketball, Ryan Kaufman, on the call; Live scoring/statistics will be provided via StatBroadcast. Links to each can be located on the women's basketball schedule page on goairforcefalcons.com.
Falcons at a Glance:
Junior Milahnie Perry and senior Madison Smith both lead Falcon scoring, averaging 16.0 and 14.3 points, ranking fifth and sixth against the Mountain West, respectively. 32.8 combined points per game for Perry/Smith currently stands as the second-highest scoring duo in the league, just behind New Mexico's Viane Cumber/Destinee Hooks.
As a team, the Falcons' scoring offense (67.50 ppg) currently ranks sixth among the Mountain West, while sporting a scoring margin of +9.50 (fifth). From the free throw line, Air Force averages .727, the third-best conference mark, with four Falcons (Perry, Smith, O'Hollaren, Devaughn) averaging .783 or better from the stripe with 10 or more attempts.
Sophomore Jayda McNabb, while also averaging 8.7 points per game, leads Air Force in rebounding, averaging 8.0 (4.5 OFF/G, 3.5 DEF/G), the fourth-highest mark in the Mountain West. McNabb's 4.5 offensive boards per game currently ranks 17th nationally and second among Mountain West competitors, while being one of only two players in the country shorter than 6'0" averaging 4.5 offensive rebounds per game.
McNabb was one of 13 players across Division I to log a double-double in the opening week of competition, earning 16 points and 10 boards in Air Force's 73-66 win over South Dakota (Nov. 8). Since then, she has added another (17 PTS, 10 REB vs. UCCS, Nov. 19) and recorded double-digit rebounds in six games to date.
Senior point guard Jo Huntimer's 4.0 assists per game and 2.40 assist/turnover ratio are both second league-wide.
Defensively, the Falcons top the Mountain West in turnovers forced per game (23.92, 17th nationally), turnover margin (+7.17, 22nd nationally) and steals per game (13.0, 15th nationally) while also sporting the second-highest scoring defense in the league (58.00). Smith, sporting 32 steals on the season, leads the Mountain West and ranks 31st nationally in the category.
An Historic Start:
Air Force opens Mountain West play in 2024-25 at 10-2, marking its first ever 10-win non-confernence and the first such occurence since the 1991-92 season. Starting 9-1 on the year with just an overtime loss at Army (Nov. 15), Air Force got off to its best ten-game start since Maj. Danny Fowler's 1982-83 Falcons went 12-1. The Falcons are currently 6-0 in Clune Arena for the first time since 1985-86, when Air Force started at home with seven-straight wins.
1,000 Point Watch:
Sporting 951 and 933 points for their respective careers, Smith and Perry are both on track to become Air Force's 19th and 20th 1,000-point career scorers, and the first two since Riley Snyder capped a 1,614-point career from 2018- 22.
If both Perry and Smith cap 1,000 points in the 2024-25 season, they will be the fourth such pair to do so in the same season in program history.
Service Before Self:
Jo Huntimer leads Air Force in total assists (48), while currently sporting the second-best assist average in the Mountain West (4.0). 319 career assists currently ranks second in Air Force DI history and seventh all-time (Briana Autrey-Thompson, 2018-22), a spot in the record books secured in the Falcons' win over Milwaukee on Nov. 28 in Puerto Rico.
Air Force is Undefeated...
- In Clune Arena (6-0);
- When leading after first quarter (5-0);
- When scoring 70 or more points (8-0):
- When out-rebounding opponents (3-0);
- When attempting 15+ free throws (7-0);
- Creating more turnovers than opponents at home (6-0);
- Creating more steals than opponents at home (6-0);
- When leading opponents in second-chance points (8-0);
- When making more three-pointers than opponents (8-0).
An Even Dozen:
Air Force has at least 12 steals in nine of its first 12 games to start the season, a figure which ranks second nationally among similar company, with Longwood leading the country. As a team, 156 steals is the sixth-most in a 12-game stretch in Mountain West history. The Falcons' streak of six-straight games with 12 or more steals to open 2024- 25 was the longest active streak in Division I at the time.
The Magic Number...
Air Force has won 28 consecutive games in which they have scored 70 or more points, a streak which extends back to Dec. 29, 2022.
The Falcons have held opponents to 70 points or less in all 10 wins this season and in 14-straight victories.
Completing the Mission:
Since Dec. 21, 2021, Air Force has only lost two games after holding a lead with five minutes to go in the fourth quarter. Both losses took place in overtime, falling that day in 2OT to UTEP, and dropping a 57-51 contest to Army at West Point on Nov. 15 of this season.
Last Time Out:
Air Force Women's Basketball put a bow on a historic start to its 2024-25 season, closing non-conference play with a 69-40 road win at Portland State on Friday afternoon at Viking Pavilion.
Lake Oswego, Oregon native Keelie O'Hollaren – playing in front of a contingent of family and friends – along with fellow junior Milahnie Perry, both logged a game high 18 points, with O'Hollaren going 4-9 from three-point range to notch a season best; Sophomore Alexis Cortez contributed an additional season high 14 points; Senior Madison Smith finished with 11 points and eight rebounds.
In the same season in which the Falcons started 9-1 on the way to their best start in the program's Division I history and an untouched 6-0 mark at home, the Falcons finished non-conference play at 10-2, marking the first 10-win non-conference finish in the program's Division I history.
Air Force (10-2, 0-0 MW) struck early, going up 6-2 behind Perry's first pair of jumpers and a second-chance look for McNabb, but PSU leveled the scoreboard as both teams entered the first-quarter under-five timeout tied at 8-all. From there, the Falcon defense ratcheted down, as Air Force outscored PSU 13-2 for the remainder of the quarter. Perry finished the first with eight points and a 4-5 showing from the field. Sophomore Jordyn Devaughn capped the Falcons' first quarter run with a three-pointer, beating the first-quarter buzzer on the left wing to lift Air Force to a 21-10 lead.
In the second, the Falcons dominated the entire floor up to halftime, holding PSU to 1-9 from the floor and 0-6 to close out the half, while ripping off a 15-0 run which ended on yet another buzzer-beating play, as senior Jo Huntimer dropped in one from deep beyond the arc as time expired to give the Falcons a 36-12 advantage.
PSU found some rhythm after halftime, scoring 17 points in the frame to Air Force's 18. After a baseline jumper for Perry and fast break score for Smith lifted the Falcon tally to 42, the Vikings boke free of a 13-minute scoring drought while earning a 7-2 run, forcing a Falcon timeout. Air Force and PSU went shot-for-shot down the late minutes of the third quarter before O'Hollaren's third three-pointer of the game cooled the PSU down.
The final quarter saw Air Force's lead whittle down to as little as 18 points, before Perry found her first three of the game above the right wing and converted an and-one over Portland State's Alaya Fitzgerald to push the Falcons back up to a 60-36 advantage. A seven-point push for O'Hollaren late in the contest all but secured the Falcons' tenth win of the season.
Follow Along:
Sunday's conference opener will be aired on both Altitude Sports and the Mountain West Network with Justin Adams and Rachael Galligan in the booth; XtraSports AM 1300 will carry the radio broadcast with the voice of Air Force Women's Basketball, Ryan Kaufman, on the call; Live scoring/statistics will be provided via StatBroadcast. Links to each can be located on the women's basketball schedule page on goairforcefalcons.com.
Falcons at a Glance:
Junior Milahnie Perry and senior Madison Smith both lead Falcon scoring, averaging 16.0 and 14.3 points, ranking fifth and sixth against the Mountain West, respectively. 32.8 combined points per game for Perry/Smith currently stands as the second-highest scoring duo in the league, just behind New Mexico's Viane Cumber/Destinee Hooks.
As a team, the Falcons' scoring offense (67.50 ppg) currently ranks sixth among the Mountain West, while sporting a scoring margin of +9.50 (fifth). From the free throw line, Air Force averages .727, the third-best conference mark, with four Falcons (Perry, Smith, O'Hollaren, Devaughn) averaging .783 or better from the stripe with 10 or more attempts.
Sophomore Jayda McNabb, while also averaging 8.7 points per game, leads Air Force in rebounding, averaging 8.0 (4.5 OFF/G, 3.5 DEF/G), the fourth-highest mark in the Mountain West. McNabb's 4.5 offensive boards per game currently ranks 17th nationally and second among Mountain West competitors, while being one of only two players in the country shorter than 6'0" averaging 4.5 offensive rebounds per game.
McNabb was one of 13 players across Division I to log a double-double in the opening week of competition, earning 16 points and 10 boards in Air Force's 73-66 win over South Dakota (Nov. 8). Since then, she has added another (17 PTS, 10 REB vs. UCCS, Nov. 19) and recorded double-digit rebounds in six games to date.
Senior point guard Jo Huntimer's 4.0 assists per game and 2.40 assist/turnover ratio are both second league-wide.
Defensively, the Falcons top the Mountain West in turnovers forced per game (23.92, 17th nationally), turnover margin (+7.17, 22nd nationally) and steals per game (13.0, 15th nationally) while also sporting the second-highest scoring defense in the league (58.00). Smith, sporting 32 steals on the season, leads the Mountain West and ranks 31st nationally in the category.
An Historic Start:
Air Force opens Mountain West play in 2024-25 at 10-2, marking its first ever 10-win non-confernence and the first such occurence since the 1991-92 season. Starting 9-1 on the year with just an overtime loss at Army (Nov. 15), Air Force got off to its best ten-game start since Maj. Danny Fowler's 1982-83 Falcons went 12-1. The Falcons are currently 6-0 in Clune Arena for the first time since 1985-86, when Air Force started at home with seven-straight wins.
1,000 Point Watch:
Sporting 951 and 933 points for their respective careers, Smith and Perry are both on track to become Air Force's 19th and 20th 1,000-point career scorers, and the first two since Riley Snyder capped a 1,614-point career from 2018- 22.
If both Perry and Smith cap 1,000 points in the 2024-25 season, they will be the fourth such pair to do so in the same season in program history.
Service Before Self:
Jo Huntimer leads Air Force in total assists (48), while currently sporting the second-best assist average in the Mountain West (4.0). 319 career assists currently ranks second in Air Force DI history and seventh all-time (Briana Autrey-Thompson, 2018-22), a spot in the record books secured in the Falcons' win over Milwaukee on Nov. 28 in Puerto Rico.
Air Force is Undefeated...
- In Clune Arena (6-0);
- When leading after first quarter (5-0);
- When scoring 70 or more points (8-0):
- When out-rebounding opponents (3-0);
- When attempting 15+ free throws (7-0);
- Creating more turnovers than opponents at home (6-0);
- Creating more steals than opponents at home (6-0);
- When leading opponents in second-chance points (8-0);
- When making more three-pointers than opponents (8-0).
An Even Dozen:
Air Force has at least 12 steals in nine of its first 12 games to start the season, a figure which ranks second nationally among similar company, with Longwood leading the country. As a team, 156 steals is the sixth-most in a 12-game stretch in Mountain West history. The Falcons' streak of six-straight games with 12 or more steals to open 2024- 25 was the longest active streak in Division I at the time.
The Magic Number...
Air Force has won 28 consecutive games in which they have scored 70 or more points, a streak which extends back to Dec. 29, 2022.
The Falcons have held opponents to 70 points or less in all 10 wins this season and in 14-straight victories.
Completing the Mission:
Since Dec. 21, 2021, Air Force has only lost two games after holding a lead with five minutes to go in the fourth quarter. Both losses took place in overtime, falling that day in 2OT to UTEP, and dropping a 57-51 contest to Army at West Point on Nov. 15 of this season.
Last Time Out:
Air Force Women's Basketball put a bow on a historic start to its 2024-25 season, closing non-conference play with a 69-40 road win at Portland State on Friday afternoon at Viking Pavilion.
Lake Oswego, Oregon native Keelie O'Hollaren – playing in front of a contingent of family and friends – along with fellow junior Milahnie Perry, both logged a game high 18 points, with O'Hollaren going 4-9 from three-point range to notch a season best; Sophomore Alexis Cortez contributed an additional season high 14 points; Senior Madison Smith finished with 11 points and eight rebounds.
In the same season in which the Falcons started 9-1 on the way to their best start in the program's Division I history and an untouched 6-0 mark at home, the Falcons finished non-conference play at 10-2, marking the first 10-win non-conference finish in the program's Division I history.
Air Force (10-2, 0-0 MW) struck early, going up 6-2 behind Perry's first pair of jumpers and a second-chance look for McNabb, but PSU leveled the scoreboard as both teams entered the first-quarter under-five timeout tied at 8-all. From there, the Falcon defense ratcheted down, as Air Force outscored PSU 13-2 for the remainder of the quarter. Perry finished the first with eight points and a 4-5 showing from the field. Sophomore Jordyn Devaughn capped the Falcons' first quarter run with a three-pointer, beating the first-quarter buzzer on the left wing to lift Air Force to a 21-10 lead.
In the second, the Falcons dominated the entire floor up to halftime, holding PSU to 1-9 from the floor and 0-6 to close out the half, while ripping off a 15-0 run which ended on yet another buzzer-beating play, as senior Jo Huntimer dropped in one from deep beyond the arc as time expired to give the Falcons a 36-12 advantage.
PSU found some rhythm after halftime, scoring 17 points in the frame to Air Force's 18. After a baseline jumper for Perry and fast break score for Smith lifted the Falcon tally to 42, the Vikings boke free of a 13-minute scoring drought while earning a 7-2 run, forcing a Falcon timeout. Air Force and PSU went shot-for-shot down the late minutes of the third quarter before O'Hollaren's third three-pointer of the game cooled the PSU down.
The final quarter saw Air Force's lead whittle down to as little as 18 points, before Perry found her first three of the game above the right wing and converted an and-one over Portland State's Alaya Fitzgerald to push the Falcons back up to a 60-36 advantage. A seven-point push for O'Hollaren late in the contest all but secured the Falcons' tenth win of the season.
Players Mentioned
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