Basketball: Defense carries Air Force over San Diego State, 60-52

  • Published
  • By Melissa McKeown
  • U.S. Air Force Academy Assistant Athletic Media Relations Director
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AFNEWS) --  Coming up with big defensive plays in the second half, the Air Force women's basketball team defeated San Diego State 60-52 Feb. 15 in Clune Arena for its first conference win of the season. The Falcons improve to 5-18 overall, 1-11 in the Mountain West Conference, while the Aztecs fall to 11-11, 4-7 in the MWC.

Air Force led early as junior Pamela Findlay from Glenview, Ill., scored the first five points of the game.  However, the Aztecs came back to tie the contest at 5-5. With the Falcons later leading 11-10, San Diego State put together a 6-0 run and did not trail again in the opening half. Although Air Force outshot their opponent in the first period, the Falcons committed 13 first-half turnovers as the Aztecs went into the locker room with a 31-23 advantage.

SDSU extended its lead to 10 points to start the second-half, but a 10-0 run by the Falcons tied the game at 33-33. After the game was tied twice more, the Aztecs pulled away for a 44-39 advantage.  Another Air Force run gave the Falcons their first lead of the half at 45-44 with just under six and a half minutes to play. The advantage grew to five points before the Aztecs pulled back within one at 49-48.

Senior Dawn Higginbotham of Colorado Springs, Colo., started off the Falcons' next run with a score off the offensive glass, while sophomore Brooke Cultra of Onarga, Ill., made a pair of baskets after stealing the ball on two consecutive possessions. Suddenly the Falcons were up by seven with 2:41 left in the contest.

The Aztecs were not done, scoring the next four points to cut the margin to 55-52, but the Falcons closed out the game with five points in the final minute, including three from the foul line to take the 60-52 victory.

Both teams grabbed 35 rebounds, but San Diego State held the advantage on the offensive glass, 23-13. Meanwhile, Air Force shot nearly 49 percent from the field and got to the charity stripe 21 times, compared to just 11 for the Aztecs.

Cultra finished with 12 points and six rebounds to lead Air Force, while Findlay added 11 points in the contest. Also scoring in double figures for the Falcons was Higginbotham, who was perfect from the field and the foul line. For the Aztecs, Shannon Clay scored 12 points, while Shanna Demus added 11 points.

The Falcons host New Mexico noon Feb. 17. 

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