The Air Force women’s basketball team -- fighting off a second-half rally -- made six free throws in the final 40 seconds of their season opener to beat Northern Colorado, 67-60.

The Falcons' Nov. 18 win was their first opening-day win in three years. The Falcons won the game on the foul line, making 25 of 32 shots. The Bears made 10 of 18.

The Falcons also had a significant advantage on the boards, out rebounding the Bears 43-24 -- getting as many offensive rebounds (18) as Northern Colorado had on defense.
Air Force led by as many as 12 in the first half and took a 34-25 advantage into the locker room, despite committing 19 turnovers in the opening stanza.

However, the Bears came out shooting to open the second half, cutting the Falcons’ lead to a single point.

The first tie of the game came with 12:56 on the clock when Northern Colorado’s Heather Barbour knocked down a three-pointer to knot the score at 39-39.

Then, a 7-2 spurt by Air Force -- capped off by a three-point play by sophomore Jamie Davis -- gave the Falcons a 46-41 lead. However, the lead would continue to change hands, with the Bears eventually taking a 57-55 lead.

The Falcons then clamped down on defense, going on a run of their own that included a baseline jumper by sophomore Pamela Findlay to take a 61-57 advantage with two minutes remaining.

Smart play on both ends of the court led to a key offensive rebound by sophomore Alecia Steele in the final minute which set up a pair of critical free throws. The Falcons never looked back, helping seal the game at the charity stripe.

Steele led Air Force with 14 points and 11 rebounds, for her sixth career double-double. She also led the team with a career-high three assists and four steals. Also scoring in double-digits for the Falcons was junior Jacki Novak, who scored 10 points in 14 minutes of action.

For the Bears, freshman Jabrenta Hubbard notched a game-high 17 points. Barbour and Danielle Hagen added 11 and 10 points, respectively.

The Falcons travel to Utah Valley State for a Nov. 23 game.