SAN JOSE, Calif.– High pressure defense and a career-best day for freshman Lauren McDonald propelled the Falcons over the Spartans 68-59 in Air Force’s Wednesday afternoon victory at the Provident Credit Union Event Center.

McDonald has proven to be a three-point threat, and was so again versus the Spartans. She finished the day 4-7 from beyond the arc, leading to a career-high 18 points. McDonald’s shooting volume also made for new personal bests, as her seven made field goals and 12 attempts also become career-bests.

Cierra Winters’ second-half performance saw her score 12 of her 16 points over the final 20 minutes of regulation. After entering the 2021-22 season with a career 2.9 PPG in her first three seasons, Winters’ 11.5 PPG this season is second-most among AIr Force players. Kamri Heath was also in double-figures with 11 points.

The Falcons entered Wednesday with the 13th-best turnover margin in Division I, proving why in San Jose. Air Force created 24 San Jose State turnovers to just 13 of their own, a facet of the game that allowed the Falcons to outscore the Spartans 24-7 in points off of turnovers. In large part to McDonald’s scoring prowess, Air Force’s bench also outscored San Jose State’s 28-7.

Furthermore, the Falcons kept the Spartans limited from the outside, as the home team finished the day just 3-13 (23.1%) from three-point range. Chris Gobrecht‘s team has allowed a success rate of just 27.3% from outside, the top mark in the Mountain West.

A 34-32 game at halftime, San Jose State was clearly comfortable shooting on its home court as the Spartans connected on 48% of their field goal tries in the first-half. However, as the 3rd quarter developed, Air Force stood its ground. Holding a 43-42 with 1:51 remaining in the quarter, successive McDonald and Winters layups gave the Falcons a five-point cushion entering the 4th quarter.

Air Force’s 4-0 run to end the 3rd quarter evolved into a 13-4 run to start the final period, as the Falcons managed to create the game’s first double-digit lead with just over seven minutes to play. In spite of San Jose State scoring on half of its field goal attempts in the final quarter, Air Force seized six of its 24 turnovers in the 4th quarter to maintain its advantage.

Next, the Falcons will head southward to Fresno State to play the Bulldogs on Saturday, February 26. Tip-off is schedueld for 3:00 pm MT.