Saturday, February 24
USAFA, Colo.
1:00 PM MT
Air Force Academy
67
vs
53
San Jose State
Women’s basketball honors upcoming graduates with 67-53 win over San Jose State
2/24/2024 5:03:00 PM | Women's Basketball
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – On an afternoon in which the Air Force women's basketball team was honoring its two 2024 graduates, the Falcons were able to apply their strengths to earn a 67-53 win in Clune Arena over San Jose State on Saturday afternoon, shooting 46 percent from three-point range and forcing a shorthanded San Jose State squad into 29 turnovers.
Eight Falcons contributed to the Air Force scoring effort on Saturday, with junior Madison Smith leading all scoring with 27 points on 11-15 shooting and a 3-4 outing from three, while adding five rebounds, two assists and four steals. Milahnie Perry finished with 12 points, complimented by four rebounds, four assists and three steals of her own. Five Falcons (Smith, Perry, Alexis Cortez, Jayda McNabb, Dasha Macmillan) logged a steal on Saturday, totaling 15 – With Smith, Perry and Cortez accounting for ten.
Air Force (13-16, 6-10 MW) got out to an early lead and battled through the bulk of the first half with the Spartans. Such as the majority of the game went, San Jose State on multiple occasions was able to find the edge necessary to climb out of its deficit, but the Falcons managed to dial up their defensive pressure late in the second quarter and respond at every necessary moment in order to keep San Jose at bay throughout the contest.
After a two-possession affair in the first quarter that left Air Force with just a 16-14 lead entering the second, the Falcons opened the second on a 5-0 run to lead 21-14. San Jose worked its deficit back to as little as a point with less than three minutes remaining in the half, before the Falcons left their opponent scoreless the remainder of the half, forcing eight Spartan turnovers and five-straight steals (four owned by Smith and Perry) on as many possessions to close the half on a 10-0 run, leaving the floor at halftime with a 33-22 lead.
Coming out of halftime, the Falcons immediately picked up exactly where they had left off, as Macmillan earned a takeaway on the Spartans' opening in-bounds pass, then forced SJSU's Semaj Smith into a bad pass on the following possession, converting the Falcons' seemingly impenetrable defense into Smith's second three-pointer of the day. The Falcons' late second-quarter run continued into the third, as Air Force amassed a 17-0 stretch and held San Jose without a basket for nearly six minutes.
Down the closing half of the third quarter, the Falcons loosened their grip on the Spartans, allowing their opponent to get on a 12-3 run, including their only three-pointer of the game, to close their gap by eight heading into the fourth. Despite their opponents' advances in the third, Air Force outscored SJSU 21-15 in the fourth quarter, led by an 11-point showing for Smith to effectively put the Spartans on ice.
Up Next:
Air Force women's basketball closes its 2023-24 regular-season home schedule on Wednesday, hosting Utah State in Clune Arena at 11 a.m.
Eight Falcons contributed to the Air Force scoring effort on Saturday, with junior Madison Smith leading all scoring with 27 points on 11-15 shooting and a 3-4 outing from three, while adding five rebounds, two assists and four steals. Milahnie Perry finished with 12 points, complimented by four rebounds, four assists and three steals of her own. Five Falcons (Smith, Perry, Alexis Cortez, Jayda McNabb, Dasha Macmillan) logged a steal on Saturday, totaling 15 – With Smith, Perry and Cortez accounting for ten.
Air Force (13-16, 6-10 MW) got out to an early lead and battled through the bulk of the first half with the Spartans. Such as the majority of the game went, San Jose State on multiple occasions was able to find the edge necessary to climb out of its deficit, but the Falcons managed to dial up their defensive pressure late in the second quarter and respond at every necessary moment in order to keep San Jose at bay throughout the contest.
After a two-possession affair in the first quarter that left Air Force with just a 16-14 lead entering the second, the Falcons opened the second on a 5-0 run to lead 21-14. San Jose worked its deficit back to as little as a point with less than three minutes remaining in the half, before the Falcons left their opponent scoreless the remainder of the half, forcing eight Spartan turnovers and five-straight steals (four owned by Smith and Perry) on as many possessions to close the half on a 10-0 run, leaving the floor at halftime with a 33-22 lead.
Coming out of halftime, the Falcons immediately picked up exactly where they had left off, as Macmillan earned a takeaway on the Spartans' opening in-bounds pass, then forced SJSU's Semaj Smith into a bad pass on the following possession, converting the Falcons' seemingly impenetrable defense into Smith's second three-pointer of the day. The Falcons' late second-quarter run continued into the third, as Air Force amassed a 17-0 stretch and held San Jose without a basket for nearly six minutes.
Down the closing half of the third quarter, the Falcons loosened their grip on the Spartans, allowing their opponent to get on a 12-3 run, including their only three-pointer of the game, to close their gap by eight heading into the fourth. Despite their opponents' advances in the third, Air Force outscored SJSU 21-15 in the fourth quarter, led by an 11-point showing for Smith to effectively put the Spartans on ice.
Up Next:
Air Force women's basketball closes its 2023-24 regular-season home schedule on Wednesday, hosting Utah State in Clune Arena at 11 a.m.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
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