Second-half effort falls short as women’s basketball falls 95-68 at (RV) UNLV

LAS VEGAS – The Air Force women's basketball team, bumping into a consistently-ranked UNLV squad, fell into an early hole and was unable to recover as the Falcons fell, 95-68, at the Thomas & Mack Center on Saturday night in Las Vegas.

Sophomore Milanie Perry, the third-highest scorer to date in the Mountain West, led Air Force scoring, earning 23 points on the evening. Freshman Alexis Cortez set a new career best, adding 18 on 8-11 shooting and earning her fourth game out of the last five to shoot .500 or better from the field. Fellow freshman Jayda McNabb fell just short of the double-double mark, earning nine points in the contest, but contributed a season-high 15 rebounds, four assists and three steals (ties career high).
Both teams managed to protect the ball throughout the length of the contest, as both Air Force and UNLV combined for just 16 turnovers.

Air Force (12-15, 5-9 MW) fell into an early deficit as UNLV shot 59 percent from the field in the first half, getting to the Falcon basket at will and scoring 38 first-half points in the paint, while only attempting three shots from three-point range. The Falcons' struggles on offense through the first two quarters amounted to 11-34 shooting and just 2-10 from three-point range in that stretch to trail 49-26 at half.

Opening the second quarter, the Falcons offense managed to pick up some steam after an early Cortez sequence gave Air Force life. Cortez, driving the left baseline, drew an and-one opportunity from UNLV's Amarachi Kimpson and missed the free throw then made good on a jumper at the elbow from a McNabb rebound to convert four points on a possession. Cortez scored off a jumper on the next Falcon possession to outscore the Lady Rebels 5-2 inside of a 70-second space and 9-4 down to the three-minute mark. Despite the flash of offense, Air Force was outscored 25-14 in the quarter after UNLV put up 15-straight.

In the third, Air Force put up an 8-0 run that lasted through the first two and a half minutes, cutting the Falcons' deficit to as little as 17 points as Air Force outscored UNLV 21-20 in the quarter. Air Force, shooting 38 and 46 percent in the third and fourth quarters, respectively, were unable to make any further gains as the Lady Rebels erased the Falcons' advance with a 10-2 run of their own. UNLV's lead held through the remainder of the contest.

Up Next:
Air Force women's basketball remains on the road, as the Falcons head to San Diego State's Viejas Arena to take on the Aztecs on Wednesday night.

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