Women’s Basketball Falls in Razor-Thin Finish at Nevada

RENO, Nev. – It was a narrow contest that fell to the margins on Saturday afternoon for the Air Force Women's Basketball team, as the majority of the 40 minutes played were a single-digit affair. But it was the Falcons that ultimately fell on the wrong end of the final score, as the Nevada Wolf Pack won, 62-59, at Lawlor Events Center.

Sophomore Keelie O'Hollaren, getting her fifth career start on Saturday to fill in for an injured Alexis Cortez, led all scoring on the floor with 22 points (7-13 FG, 5-9 3FG, 4 REB, 1 STL); senior Madison Smith added 14 points (5-18 FG, 1-4 3FG, 3 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL).

Air Force got out to an early first-quarter lead, as Smith and sophomore starter Jayda McNabb found their way to the rim. The Falcons led by four after the first five minutes, but their lead thinned to an 11-11 tie at the end of the first as Nevada capitalized on Air Force turnovers to produce a 6-1 run and even the tally.

At the start of the second quarter, junior Milahnie Perry's first basket of the game got Air Force back in front. The Falcons either held a lead or tied for all but 20 seconds of the second but couldn't break away from the Wolf Pack. Air Force finished the half 5-9 (.556) from three-point range and led the Wolf Pack 12-2 in points from turnovers, but the Falcons held onto a tight 25-23 lead

The Wolf Pack pulled ahead in the opening seconds of the second half and ultimately retained their lead through the remainder of the game. Nevada opened on an 8-2 run and shot 56 percent from the field in the quarter to outscore the Falcons 21-13 in the third. Air Force pulled back within a point after am O'Hollaren three with two minutes to go, but Nevada ripped off another 7-2 streak to lead 44-38 at the end of the third.

In the final 10 minutes, Nevada led by as much as 11 points. O'Hollaren willed the Falcons back into the contest, put up 14 fourth-quarter points on 4-4 shooting and 3-3 from range, laying the groundwork for a 10-2 Falcon scoring advantage down the final minutes of the game. Down four points with 29 seconds to go, O'Hollaren sunk her third three of the quarter to bring Air Force within a point, but Air Force, in foul territory, failed to complete its comeback, falling 62-59.

Up Next:
Air Force Women's Basketball returns to Clune Arena on Wednesday, Jan. 29, hosting Utah State at 6:30 p.m.

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