LAS VEGAS – This wasn’t about Air Force. The Falcons were fine.
But fine doesn’t cut it when the other side is fire.
Second-seeded Wyoming rode its scorching second-half shooting to overcome a deficit late in the third quarter and speed away from the No. 10 Falcons in a 77-64 victory Monday night in the Mountain West Tournament quarterfinals at the Thomas & Mack Center.
The Cowgirls’ 60.4% shooting percentage set a conference tournament record. They made 76% of their second-half shots, including 7-of-9 3s. They went 9-of-10 in the difference-making third quarter.
“I mean, every time the shot went up I think everybody in the gym assumed that they weren't going to hit one more,” Air Force coach Stacy McIntyre said. “And they just continued to knock those shots down.”
The Falcons shot 48.2%. They were better than that just twice this year, in wins over Fresno State (51.9%) and Boise State (48.4%). It was a good enough effort that Air Force led by as many as eight points in the second quarter and were still leading 45-44 with 2:16 remaining in the third quarter.
“I think we could definitely have done things differently,” said Falcons senior Madison Smith, who scored a team-high 14 points despite missing 15 minutes because of foul trouble. “We had a dry spell in the third quarter, and that's what led to their momentum, I think.
“I think if we would have been able to keep up the pressure at halftime maybe less of their shots would have fell. But we definitely worked until the buzzer rang. We're proud of that.”
The Cowgirls (21-10) have long been dominant vs. Air Force (18-15), improving to 63-4 all-time in the series with this victory. The matchup is particularly challenging because of the imposing size of Mountain West Player of the Year Allyson Fertig.
The 6-foot-4 senior scored 22 points with 13 rebounds and the constant attention she required certainly led to the quality of shots the Cowgirls found.
“We talked in the locker room to say, ‘They're going to fall, we’ll get those shots,’” said Fertig, whose team scored 28 points in the first half and 49 in the second. “And it just happened to do so in the second half.”
The Falcons did all they could to get to this point. They overcame an 0-5 start in conference play to earn a favorable seed that had them as a heavy favorite in Sunday’s first round (where they toppled No. 10 Utah State 66-59) and were paired with an opponent it had played closely in a pair of losses.
Then they positioned themselves for the upset with a balanced attack for about 28 minutes. Air Force’s scoring load was split, with Smith leading with 14, sophomore Jordy DeVaugn adding 13 and Jo Huntimer and Keelie O’Hollaren each scoring 11.
Then came the onslaught for which there was no answer.
“I think that's two teams that are playing their best basketball in March,” said Wyoming’s Emily Mellema, who scored 11 of her 15 points in the second half. “That's what you want in the tournament is two really good teams going at it. We've had some really great contests against Air Force this year.
“And we're just really happy we can get all three of them, and especially this one, the most important one.”
MOUNTAIN WEST WOMEN’S QUARTERINALS
No. 2 Wyoming 77, No. 7 Air Force 64
What happened: The Falcons led for more than 20 minutes, with the advantage growing as large as eight in the second quarter. Then Wyoming took over by shooting 76% in the second half.
What went right: The Falcons had contributions from multiple players, with four scorers finishing in double figures. The bench provided 21 points. They were in front late in the third quarter. The stage was set, but …
What went wrong: Wyoming caught fire, setting a Mountain West Tournament record by shooting 60.4%. The third quarter was particularly explosive, with Wyoming hitting 9-of-10 shots, including 4-of-4 3-point shots.
Highlight of the day: A sequence late in the fourth quarter had no bearing on the outcome, but it highlighted the hustling nature that Air force embodies. Jayda McNabb kept with an offensive rebound opportunity, tipping it multiple times until Madison Smith became involved, jumping on the ball and quickly wrestling it away. She flipped it to Keelie O’Hollaren, who immediately buried a 3-pointer. This came with 1:19 remaining in the game and the Falcons down by 16.
Up next: Remains to be seen. The Falcons are out of the MW Tournament but hope their 18-14 record will open a postseason tournament invitation.
Your Privacy Choices
