By Jovana Tomic
The No. 9 Air Force Falcons directed a calm and collected upset against top-seeded San Diego State in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Credit Union 1 Mountain West Women’s Basketball Championship on Sunday at the Thomas & Mack Center.
A tightly contested first quarter featured bold plays from Mountain West Player of the Year Nala Williams, but the Aztecs capitalized on key opportunities to head into halftime with a six-point lead. However, the 3’s started soaring from the Falcons during the second half, led by senior guard Milahnie Perry, and a heated bucket-battle late in the third quarter saw Air Force leading 55-54.
Late fouls and a few tough moments at the net put pressure on the Aztecs, prompting guard Naomi Panganiban to answer with a flurry of three-point attempts. Despite the late push, Air Force executed well down the stretch and secured an 83–76 victory.
Perry doubled down on as the leading scorer for the Falcons with a whopping 33 points, the fifth-most in MW tournament single-game history, while Emily Adams played a crucial supporting role in her 20-point campaign.
“You count on your seniors when you get to this point,” said Air Force head coach Stacy McIntyre.
Air Force will take on the winner of No. 4 New Mexico and No. 5 Boise State in the semifinals on Monday, March 9.
