Thursday, February 2
Fresno, CA
7:00 PM MT
Air Force Academy
74
at
59
Fresno State
Smith, Heath, Britt, Lead Falcons to First Program Win at Fresno State
2/3/2023 12:14:00 AM | Women's Basketball
FRESNO, Calif. – The Air Force women's basketball team closed on its third sweep of a Mountain West opponent this season, defeating Fresno State, 74-59, at the Save Mart Center on Thursday evening.
The win represents the Falcons' (12-11, 7-4 MW) first-ever program win at Fresno State, covering over 27 years of competition and two separate shared conference memberships.
Air Force posted a complete offensive effort on the evening, shooting 53 percent from the field (27-51) against one of the top scoring defenses in the Mountain West.
Falcon scoring was led behind a 24-point night for senior Kamri Heath, a game high. A 9-14 evening for the veteran Falcon was complimented by a 6-7 showing at the free-throw line, while adding a game-best eight rebounds along the way.
Junior Taylor Britt logged a career-best 12 points, going 5-6 in just ten minutes of floor time.
Sophomore Madison Smith tied her career high with 23, going 9-16 from the field.
Sophomore Jo Huntimer posted four assists on the evening, totaling 105 for the season and 227 for her career - tying fifth in the program Division I assists record book (LaToya Howell, 2001-03).
The first quarter was underscored by four separate lead changes in which both teams found their shots with relative ease. The Falcons went 7-10 in the opening quarter, while Fresno State started off 8-13.
After a Fresno backdoor layup to open the night, Heath leads an early 8-2 Air Force push, before the Bulldogs answered in kind, bringing the score back to a one-possession affair, on the way to an 18-17 Fresno lead after one.
The Bulldogs (8-16, 1-10 MW) held the lead for the entirety of the second quarter, leading by as much as eight down the back end of the half. The Bulldogs maintained their advantage up to the 7:37 mark in the third before Falcon freshman Emily Adams battled her way back to the rim after pulling down an offensive rebound to gain the first Air Force lead since the final seconds of the first quarter. Lead in-hand, Air Force would close the third quarter with a 53-48 advantage and not look back the remainder of the contest.
The Falcons, behind a combined 17 points for both Heath and Smith, outscored Fresno State 21-11 in the final quarter. In that stretch, Air Force shot 8-9 from the free-throw line, capping a 16-19 (84 percent) showing from the stripe.
Up 55-50 with 7:38 remaining in regulation, a 9-2 Falcon scoring run with five points from Heath at its foundation, and a three-minute scoring drought for Fresno State effectively put the game beyond reach for the Bulldogs, pushing the Falcons' out to a double digit lead.
Air Force women's basketball returns to Clune Arena on Saturday afternoon to host league-leading UNLV at 1 p.m.
The win represents the Falcons' (12-11, 7-4 MW) first-ever program win at Fresno State, covering over 27 years of competition and two separate shared conference memberships.
Air Force posted a complete offensive effort on the evening, shooting 53 percent from the field (27-51) against one of the top scoring defenses in the Mountain West.
Falcon scoring was led behind a 24-point night for senior Kamri Heath, a game high. A 9-14 evening for the veteran Falcon was complimented by a 6-7 showing at the free-throw line, while adding a game-best eight rebounds along the way.
Junior Taylor Britt logged a career-best 12 points, going 5-6 in just ten minutes of floor time.
Sophomore Madison Smith tied her career high with 23, going 9-16 from the field.
Sophomore Jo Huntimer posted four assists on the evening, totaling 105 for the season and 227 for her career - tying fifth in the program Division I assists record book (LaToya Howell, 2001-03).
The first quarter was underscored by four separate lead changes in which both teams found their shots with relative ease. The Falcons went 7-10 in the opening quarter, while Fresno State started off 8-13.
After a Fresno backdoor layup to open the night, Heath leads an early 8-2 Air Force push, before the Bulldogs answered in kind, bringing the score back to a one-possession affair, on the way to an 18-17 Fresno lead after one.
The Bulldogs (8-16, 1-10 MW) held the lead for the entirety of the second quarter, leading by as much as eight down the back end of the half. The Bulldogs maintained their advantage up to the 7:37 mark in the third before Falcon freshman Emily Adams battled her way back to the rim after pulling down an offensive rebound to gain the first Air Force lead since the final seconds of the first quarter. Lead in-hand, Air Force would close the third quarter with a 53-48 advantage and not look back the remainder of the contest.
The Falcons, behind a combined 17 points for both Heath and Smith, outscored Fresno State 21-11 in the final quarter. In that stretch, Air Force shot 8-9 from the free-throw line, capping a 16-19 (84 percent) showing from the stripe.
Up 55-50 with 7:38 remaining in regulation, a 9-2 Falcon scoring run with five points from Heath at its foundation, and a three-minute scoring drought for Fresno State effectively put the game beyond reach for the Bulldogs, pushing the Falcons' out to a double digit lead.
Air Force women's basketball returns to Clune Arena on Saturday afternoon to host league-leading UNLV at 1 p.m.