Courtesy of Air Force

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – Air Force Women’s Basketball, hosting Utah Valley on Friday night in the opening round of the Women’s National Invitational Tournament, fell to the Wolverines, 70-64, to close out the Falcons’ 2024-25 season.

In the final game of her career, senior Madison Smith led all scoring, putting up 20 points (7-16 FG). Smith closes out her basketball career with 1285 points, finishing ninth in Air Force history. Junior Milahnie Perry closed her junior season with 17 points, and sophomore Keelie O’Hollaren finished 4-6 from three-point range, contributing 14 on the night. Senior point guard Jo Huntimer logged four points and three assists in her career finale, as Huntimer caps her career with the most assists ina season by a player in the Falcons’ DI history (150) and second-most for her career (421).

Air Force led 23-12 to close the opening quarter, with Smith leading all scoring at 10 points while leading a 9-18 shooting quarter for the Falcons and 5-6 showing from three-point range. Five-straight for O’Hollaren on back-to-back baskets forced UVU head coach Dan Nielsen into a timeout and started a 13-2 Falcon run to get the Falcons out to as much as a 13-point lead in the quarter.

Utah Valley dug in and flipped the script in the second, outscoring Air Force 29-11 as every Wolverine found a basket, matching the most points scored by a Falcon opponent in a single quarter this season. A 19-2 Utah Valley run down the final six minutes of the half bought the Wolverines their first lead of the game and pushed the opposition out to a 41-34 lead.

UVU’s streak continued into the third, as the Wolverines extended their lead to 15 before a  Jordyn Devaughn got things moving again for the Falcons with a quick five points, but Utah Valley’s Tahlia White dropped in a three-pointer to stall Air Force’s advance. A 5-2 Wolverine streak to close the frame left Air Force with a 59-43 deficit to contend with to open the final quarter.

In the final quarter, Perry willed the Falcons back into the game, scoring 12 of her evening’s points inside the final 10 minutes. A 5-0 Falcon start, lifted off by O’Hollaren’s fourth-straight three-pointer, set off a 9-2 Air Force run for both Smith and Perry to cut Utah Valley’s lead back within 10. The Wolverines were held without a field goal for the final six and a half minutes of the game and the Falcons were able to whittle away at their deficit, but came up short as time expired.

18-15 represents the second winning campaign in Air Force’s Division I history; 18 wins for head coach Stacy McIntyre in her inaugural season marks the most by a first-year head coach in the program’s all time history.