Shorthanded Falcons Slip After Hot Start at FAU

BOCA RATON, Fla. – An Air Force Women's Basketball team who opened the day short two key pieces on Thursday afternoon opened against Florida Atlantic in dominant fashion, leading the Owls by as much as 13 points in the first half. Despite the early advantage and one of the best offensive performances to date for the Falcons, FAU overcame its deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat the Falcons, 76-71, in Boca Raton.

For the fourth-straight game, senior Milahnie Perry led all scorers with a season-high 27 points (9-19 FG, 9-11 FT, 4 AST, 3 STL); Junior Keelie O'Hollaren put up a career high 25 points on 5-10 shooting from three-point range; Freshman Bhret Clay contributed 10 points and a trio of steals; Junior Marissa Hargrave, while only adding one basket to the Falcon tally on Thursday, put up a career-best six rebounds and tied the game high in steals (four).

Air Force got the start it wanted on Thursday, forcing five FAU turnovers to open, leading to a 12-8 Air Force advantage at the first quarter under-five timeout. FAU shot 8-10 from the field in the first quarter, but Perry's first six points and a pair of makes for O'Hollaren kept the Falcons at a 17-17 tie at the first quarter buzzer.

In the second, the Air Force attack outscored FAU 19-9, ending in a 36-26 lead heading into the locker room. The baskets kept falling for O'Hollaren, as back-to-back three-pointers capped off a 12-2 Falcon run, ultimately buying Air Force its largest lead of the game.

O'Hollaren's third make of the game got second-half scoring started for Air Force. From there, FAU's full-court press disjointed the Falcon offense, forcing Air Force into 10 third-quarter turnovers and generating 13 points for the Owls in the process. A nine-point FAU barrage out of the third-quarter media timeout put the Owls in front for good. Air Force did not relent, as both O'Hollaren and Clay scored consecutive threes, with Clay's basket falling at the third-quarter buzzer.

Air Force (3-4, 0-0 MW) briefly bought back its lead in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, but the Falcons' late advantage quickly evaporated behind a 9-0 FAU scoring streak. An 11-point outburst for Perry in the final 10 minutes willed Air Force back into a single-possession game with under three minutes to go, but an 11-2 FAU response and four-minute cold streak for the Falcons effectively sealed the game.

Air Force led the game in three-pointers made (eight), blocked shots (three) and second-chance points (seven).

Up Next:
Air Force Women's Basketball is back inside Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena on Saturday, Nov. 29 at 11 a.m. MT, facing Wright State in game two of the Thanksgiving Classic.

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