Basketball: Falcons come back against Weber State 78-73

  • Published
  • By Melissa McKeown
  • U.S. Air Force Academy
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AFPN) --  Led by a career-best 26 points from junior Alecia Steele, the Air Force women's basketball team was able to overcome a nine-point halftime deficit to defeat Weber State 78-73 Dec. 30 at Clune Arena here.

The Falcons improve to 4-7 on the season, while the Wildcats fall to 5-8.

Weber State took control from the beginning, using hot shooting from long range to get out to an 18-5 advantage in the opening half. The Wildcats' advantage remained in double-figures for most of the half before a three-pointer by Falcons junior Pamela Findlay at the buzzer cut the halftime margin to 42-33.

The Wildcats extended their lead back to 13 points early in the second half, but the Air Force responded with a 13-0 run to tie the contest at 48-48. The Falcons were able to grab their first advantage of the game at the 9:40 mark. While Weber State was able to tie the game again at 61-61, the Falcons were solid from the foul line down the stretch to hold on to the 78-73 victory.

The Falcons, who snapped a four-game losing streak, were in action for the first time in 17 days, after last week's contest at Navy was cancelled due to winter weather in Colorado. Air Force did not seem too rusty on the offensive end, however, finishing with a season-high 78 points while shooting nearly 54 percent from the field.

In addition to her 26 points, Steele, who finished 10-of-11 from the field, also brought down a career-high tying 13 rebounds. It marked her fourth double-double of the season and 10th of her career. Air Force Junior Jamie Davis added a career-high tying 14 points, while Findlay also finished in double figures with 13 points.

Leading the Wildcats was Chelsey Warburton with 23 points, while Sara Tuomi and Tashina Taylor added 18 and 13 points, respectively.

Air Force opens up the 2007 Mountain West Conference slate this week when it plays host to Colorado State and Brigham Young University. The Falcons will face the Rams Jan. 4 at 7:00 p.m. and the Cougars Jan. 6 at 4:00 p.m.

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