Air Force Academy

Game #14
Air Force (10-3, 1-1) vs. Wyoming (11-2, 1-1)
Wed., Jan. 11, 2006 • 7:00 p.m.
Clune Arena (USAFA, CO)

Game #15
Air Force vs. TCU (6-6, 0-1)
Sat., Jan. 14, 2006 • 1:00 p.m. (Mtn)
Daniel-Meyer Coliseum (Fort Worth, TX)

Coaches...
• Air Force is coached by Ardie McInelly (Boise State, 1982), who is in her fifth year at the helm of the Falcons' program. She has compiled an overall record of 31-94 while at the Academy and holds a career record of 108-156 (10th year).
• Wyoming is coached by Joe Legerski (Wyoming, 1979), who is in his third season. Legerski has led the Cowgirls to a 38-32 career record.
• TCU is coached by Jeff Mittie (Missouri Western, 1989), who is in his seventh season. He has led the Horned Frogs to a 139-66 record. Mittie has a career record of 290-125 in his 14th season.

Series Records...
• Air Force has a 2-25 all-time record with Wyoming. The Falcons and Cowgirls last played on March 3 of last year and Wyoming was a 60-43 winner. Air Force's last win in the series came in the first game of the series last year, 69-66, in overtime, on Feb. 5.
• TCU leads the overall series with Air Force, 4-1. This week's game will be the first as conference foes. The teams last played on Nov. 18, 2001, at the Academy. The Horned Frogs won the game, 71-48.

Next Up...
The Falcons travel to Salt Lake City, Utah, to take on Utah on Jan. 18 at 7 p.m. Air Force then returns home to take on nationally-ranked New Mexico on Jan. 21 at 2 p.m. in Clune Arena.


This Week...
The Air Force women's basketball team continues its 2006 Mountain West Conference slate with a pair of games this week. The Falcons host Wyoming on Wednesday, Jan. 11, at 7 p.m. in Clune Arena. The team then travels to Fort Worth, Texas, to take on TCU on Saturday, Jan. 14, at 1 p.m.

Scouting the Falcons...
Air Force went 1-1 last week, falling at BYU, 64-43, and defeating San Diego State, 63-59, in overtime in San Diego.
Alecia Steele led the Falcons with 11 points at BYU and was the only player in double figures. Pamela Findlay added eight points while Dawn Higginbotham chipped in with seven. Ellen Jaeschke had nine points and a team-high nine rebounds.
Steele had team highs of 17 points and nine rebounds in the San Diego State win. Andrea Taylor added 12 points, five rebounds and a team-high four assists while Letricia Castillo added 11 points. The Falcons bounced back from a 24.1 first-half shooting clip to hit 50 percent in the second half and 57.1 percent in overtime and finished the game at 39.1 percent. The Falcons entered the game leading the nation in free throw percentage at nearly 79 percent, hit just 10 of 21.

Scouting the CoWGIRLS...
Wyoming's leading scorer is Hanna Zavecz, who averages 14.2 points per game. Michelle Taylor leads the conference in steals with a 2.46 per-game average. The Cowgirls rank eighth in the conference in scoring with a 63.1 average, but lead the conference in scoring defense allowing just 51.5 points per game. The 11.6 scoring margin ranks second in the conference.

Scouting the horned frogs...
TCU is led by Natasha Lacy, who averages 13.8 points per game to rank eighth in the conference. The Horned Frogs rank fourth in the conference in scoring at 67.2 points per game. TCU is tops in the conference in steals with an 11.58 per-game average.

How We Rate...
In the latest conference statistics released Jan. 10, Air Force ranks second in scoring offense with a 68.2 average. The Falcons lead the conference in free throw percentage with a 75.2 clip, despite a 10-21 effort last week at SDSU. The Falcons rank second in the league in rebounding with a 43.1 average. The team's rebounding margin of +9.9 also tops the conference.
Individually, sophomore Ellen Jaeschke leads the conference in blocks shots with a 1.69 average. Dawn Higginbotham is third in the conference in free throw percentage with an 84.8 mark.

A TURNAROUND...
Demonstrating a complete turnaround from the 2004-05 season, when the Falcons finished last in the MWC in free throw percentage at .644, Air Force currently leads the conference in free-throw percentage with .752 (as of Jan. 10).

They Got the Record-Breaker...
Earlier this season, the Falcons, who had already matched their Division I record for season wins with seven, had an opportunity to set a new record--for most season wins as a Division I team.
That is exactly what Air Force did, defeating both Army and Western State, en route to season win total #8 and #9. The team added #10 last week at SDSU.
Now, no matter how many more the Falcons win out the rest of the way, one thing is for certain. The season win total will be a NEW school record at the Division I level.

Still Crashing the boards...
In its 13 games, Air Force was very consistent about one thing--its rebounding. The Falcons have outrebounded 12 of 13 opponents. BYU is the only team to out-rebound Air Force this season. The Cougars held a 46-35 edge in last week win in Provo. In its only other conference tilt, the Falcons held a 43-39 edge on the boards at San Diego State.

Smashing Records...still
Air Force found itself with a new pair of school Division I records after the team's 76-34 win against Western State. The Falcons set records for both largest margin of victory (+42) as a Division I team, as well as the fewest points scored by an opponent (34) in that same span of time. That previous record was 41, set earlier this season by Bucknell.

Jacki Doubles It Up...On a Career Day
Junior Jacki Novak had one of her most solid performances to date against Army, as she finished that win with a career-best 15 points, along with a career-high tying 10 rebounds. Her 15-point, 10-rebound performance against the Black Knights marked her first career double-double--all of which occurred in just 16 minutes of action on the court.

They Didn't Come Free...
Although the Falcons are one of the top free-throw shooting team in the nation, Air Force hit just 50 percent from the line against Denver, shooting a season-low 2-of-4 from the line. The Falcons' previous season low in free throw attempts was 10 at Weber State. The team got more attempts against San Diego State with 21, but hit just 10. The team also hit just three of seven at BYU.

EJ's Block Party...
Sophomore Ellen Jaeschke continued to prove her value as a shot blocker in the contest against Denver, recording a career-best five blocked shots in the game. The total ties a school Division I single-game record for an individual, set by Carrie Carrow in 1996 and matched by Alison Butler in 2003.
Jaeschke leads the conference in blocked shots with a 1.69 average. She matched her career high with five blocks at San Diego State last Saturday.

Road Warriors...
Air Force split a pair of road games last week, but remain solid on road games with a 5-1 mark. The team's only loss on the road is at BYU. The Falcons' five road wins are the most ever in the team's Division I history.

Henderson OUt of the Lineup...
The Falcons were dealt a blow on Dec. 6 when starting point guard Lauren Henderson was forced to undergo an emergency appendectomy prior to the team's road trip. The timetable for her return is still uncertain.
Before her surgery, Henderson, an honorable mention All-MWC pick in 2005, was averaging 11.4 points and 5.2 assists per contest.

Taylor Steps Up...
With Lauren Henderson out of action, the Falcons have been in need of a player to step up at the point guard position--and junior co-captain Andrea Taylor has done just that.
In the narrow win over Utah State, Taylor helped spark a 13-2 Air Force first-half run with a pair of long-range bombs before finishing the game with nine points. She was even more impressive in the victory over Montana State, scoring nine points while dishing out a career-high seven assists with just two turnovers in a career-high 33 minutes of action. She then followed that with a career-high 10 points in the Falcons' loss to Denver.
Since Henderson's absence, Taylor has averaged 6.7 points, 3.8 assists and 3.3 rebounds per contest.

Another double...
Sophomore Alecia Steele returned to double-figures in the scoring column in the win over Montana State, tallying 14 points, while adding 11 rebounds for her second double-double of the season and seventh of her career.
Steele's other double-double of the year came in the season opener versus Northern Colorado when she also recorded 14 points and 11 rebounds.

In the Record Books...
Letricia Castillo continues to move up in the record books in more than one category. The junior currently sits in 24th place on the career scoring list with 740 points and could break into the top 15 by year's end. In addition, Castillo is also sixth in both career three-point field goals made and attempted.

Double Time...
Sophomore Ellen Jaeschke notched her first career double-double in the 58-41 victory over Bucknell, finishing the contest with 10 points and a career-best 12 rebounds.
Jaeschke became the second Air Force player of the year to record a double-double, following Alecia Steele, who has recorded double-doubles against Northern Colorado and Montana State.

All-Air Force Classic Team...
Junior Letricia Castillo and sophomore Lauren Henderson were both named to the Academy Hotel Air Force Classic all-tournament team. Castillo tied a career high with 22 points in the championship game versus Stephen F. Austin, helping the Falcons to come back from an early 15-point deficit. Meanwhile, Henderson averaged 8.5 points and four assists in the two games.
The rest of the team included MVP Britany Vinson (Stephen F. Austin), LaToya Mills (Stephen F. Austin), Hope Foster (Bucknell) and Candyce Sellars (High Point).

Jones Out of Commission...
Freshman Chasmine Jones is out for six to eight weeks after suffering a torn calf muscle in practice on Dec. 1.
Jones, one of seven newcomers on the Falcons' squad this season, has played in just one game, finishing with two points and a rebound in two minutes during the win over Utah Valley State.

A Record-setting Night...
The 97 points scored by Air Force against Utah Valley State are the most since the Falcons moved to the Division I level. The team also set Division I records for field goals made (32) and field goal percentage (.561) in that contest. Air Force later matched the field goal record, scoring 32 in the win over Weber State.

Lauren Lends a Hand...
Sophomore point guard Lauren Henderson was dishing out assists left and right against Utah Valley State and Weber State, first matching a career high with eight assists against UVSC, before finishing with nine assists--and just one turnover--to go along with her career-best 19 points versus Weber State.

She Was Automatic...
Junior Dawn Higginbotham literally could not miss a shot in the two games versus Utah Valley State and Weber State, going 9-of-9 from the field for the week, including a career-best 6-of-6 effort versus the Wildcats. She was also solid from the foul line, knocking down 6-of-6 free throws against the Wolverines before missing her first free throw of the season in the contest against Weber State.
After establishing a new career high with 12 points against UVSC, Higginbotham bested that total with her 13 points in the Weber State contest.

Hitting The Century Mark...
With the victory over Utah Valley State, Air Force head coach Ardie McInelly captured her 100th career win, becoming the sixth coach in the Mountain West Conference to reach 100 career wins.

AF In Season Openers...
With its win over Northern Colorado, Air Force improved to 19-11 all-time in season openers, including a 13-7 mark when opening the season at home.

We're Young...
This season's Air Force squad may be the youngest ever, as 13 of the team's 17 players are freshmen (7) or sophomores (6). No other team in the Mountain West has a higher number of underclassmen on its roster.

...but experienced
Although the team is young, most of the returners have accumulated valuable experience in their short careers. Prior to this season, the 10 returners had played in a combined 371 games, with 163 starts over the past two years. Leading the way is junior Letricia Castillo, who was a starter in 51 of 56 games in her first two seasons.
In addition, Air Force's 10 returners have accounted for 1,742 of a possible 1,800 minutes played this season. Meanwhile, the team's seven freshmen have combined for just 58 minutes of action, paced by Brooke Cultra's 30 minutes.

It's A Midwest Thing...
The Air Force roster certainly has a Midwestern flavor this season, as eight of the 17 players hail from either Illinois or Missouri. In fact, four of the seven freshmen on the squad--Brooke Cultra, Kim Kreke, Dana Loveless and Paulina Tuell--are from one of those two states, along with three sophomores--Pamela Findlay, Lauren Henderson and Ellen Jaeschke--and junior captain Andrea Taylor.

They're Our Leaders...
The captains for the 2005-06 basketball season are juniors Letricia Castillo and Andrea Taylor. Castillo, an honorable mention All-MWC selection in 2003-04, will serve as the Falcons' team captain for the second-straight season. Meanwhile, Taylor, who has started in 19 games at the point guard position over her career, leads the team for the first year.

Falcons Picked Ninth...
In the preseason conference poll released Oct. 13, Air Force was chosen by the coaches and select media to finish ninth in the Mountain West. Utah was chosen to finish atop the conference standings, earning 23 of 26 first-place votes, while New Mexico, last season's conference champion, was selected to finish second. Utah senior Kim Smith was tabbed the Top Returning Player for the third-straight season, while UNLV's Faye Mueller was named Top Newcomer.

BY The Numbers...
This season marks the 30th year of Air Force women's basketball, the 10th year for the Falcons at the NCAA Division I classification and the fifth year of head coach Ardie McInelly's tenure.