Air Force women suffer last-second loss

It may not have been a victory on the scoreboard, but the Air Force women’s basketball team left its in-state tilt against Denver with a moral victory.

Camille Thompson could not get a potential game-tying shot off in the final three-tenths of a second, and the Falcons fell 54-52 to the Pioneers at Clune Arena Thursday night. It was a hard-fought loss for an Air Force squad looking to improve on a 9-22 2010-11 season, but one that can give the Falcons confidence going forward.

“We just ran out of time,” Air Force second-year coach Andrea Williams said. “It was a little moral victory, and I liked what I saw. We didn’t quit and kept it close, but we just have to come up with some scores.”

Air Force (1-2) kept it a two-possession game the majority of the second half and cut the lead to two on a pair of Megan O’Neil free throws with 12.2 seconds remaining. Sophomore Cherae Medina had a chance to tie the game with two free throws with 1.1 seconds left, but missed them both.

Dymond James led the Falcons with 14 points and 15 rebounds off the bench, and O’Neil also added 14 points off the bench. Leading scorer Alicia Leipprandt struggled from the field, hitting just 3-of-15 shots for six points, but had 10 rebounds.

“We actually played a pretty good game, but our turnovers were high and we missed a lot of free throws,” James said. “We’ve definitely come a long way and done a lot better about playing an entire game. I’m really proud of everyone for sticking in there and coming ready to play until the last .3 seconds.”

Both teams struggled from the field, with Air Force hitting 33.3 percent of its shots and Denver (3-0) connecting at 35.1 percent. The teams were a combined 1-for-18 from 3-point range, and the Pioneers kept the Falcons in the game by hitting just 13-of-30 free-throw attempts.

Kaetlyn Murdoch had 19 points and Quincey Noonan 14 to lead Denver (3-0), a 2011 Women’s National Invitation Tournament team that is picked to win the Sun Belt Conference’s West Division.

Williams’ young squad is still working to implement her system and improve its execution. The Falcons are averaging 21.7 turnovers a game and shooting just 37.4 percent from the field on the season.

“I’m excited about our progress and where we are,” Williams said. “We’re a work in progress.”
The first half was an intense back-and-forth battle, with 11 lead changes, 22 turnovers and 21 fouls. The Pioneers closed with a 9-3 run to take a 28-23 lead into the locker room.