Seniors, defense lead the way as Air Force women brush aside challenge from Utah State | Air Force Sports
There wasn’t just one thing that allowed the Air Force women to overcome a pesky challenge from Utah State on Saturday.
Maybe that’s the key to why this program keeps chugging along in ways it never has before – because they’ve suddenly filled their arsenal with so many ways to win.
In beating Utah State 67-56 at Clune Arena in a unique spot as a favored team needing a win, the Falcons answered immediately all five times the Aggies scored to tie or take the lead (each time with a different player), they piled up seven steals to gain separation in the third quarter and had signature style performances from all three seniors on a day they celebrated the outgoing class.
The win extends Air Force’s school record for victories in a season (15) and conference season (9) and guarantees the program will not finish below .500 for the first time since it moved to Division 1 in 1996.
“They really believe,” coach Chris Gobrecht said. “They believe they’re going to find a way, so that’s how they play.”
The win pushes Air Force (15-11, 9-6 Mountain West) into sole possession of fourth place in the Mountain West, half a game up on No. 5 Wyoming. The top five earn first-round byes in the conference tournament. Colorado State is a game back in sixth place but with two more games remaining than the Falcons. Air Force would hold the tiebreaker over the Rams.
Those stakes made the game against the Aggies (8-19, 3-13) all the more important, and Utah State made things difficult behind 27 points and 10 rebounds from Adryana Quezada.
Air Force senior Cierra Winters scored the game’s first six points en route to 13, but Utah State recovered to take the lead early in the second quarter.
Winters immediately responded with the next five points.
The Aggies tied it a few minutes later and freshman Lauren McDonald hit a 3 to push Air Force back in front.
That’s how it went through the two middle quarters, with Kamri Heath, Nikki McDonald and Riley Snyder coming up with immediate answers just as the Aggies would tie or move in front.
“We know that every player on our team can score,” Winters said. “We just trust each other to get it done.”
Winters had three of the Falcons’ seven third-quarter steals, with the defense leading the way to close the quarter on a 10-2 run and pull ahead by eight.
The Falcons finally opened their first double-digit lead in the fourth quarter and Gobrecht removed her three seniors together with a minute remaining. There is still one home game left on the schedule, but they opted to celebrate the seniors on Saturday to ensure families could travel in for the weekend game.
Seniors Audrey Gadison (knee injury) and Briana Autry-Thompson (academics) were unavailable to play, but were honored along with their classmates in a pregame ceremony.
And the seniors led. Winters had five steals to go with her 13 points. Snyder, celebrating her birthday, scored a team-high 17 points with six rebounds. Haley Jones added nine points, eight rebounds and two steals.
“We knew that’s a game we should have won,” Snyder said. “We know we’re going to get everybody’s best. We have to make sure we’re winning the games that we need to win, which, honestly, from here on out we want to win every single one of them.”
Gobrecht inherited a program in 2015 that had lost 43 consecutive games against Mountain West competition. Her first two seasons produced a record of 5-54. Now, the Falcons have won as many games in this month (4) with two games remaining as they had ever won in a full conference season before her arrival.
“(Assistant coach) Stacey (McIntyre) and I gave each other a little extra pat on the back and said, ‘Did we ever think we’d get to 15?’” Gobrecht said of the record number of wins the program has posted. “So, yes, it does, it feels pretty good. I couldn’t’ think of a better bunch to be able to celebrate it with.
“But we’ve got to stay hungry.”