Air Force Academy

Broadcast Info...
The Colorado State game will be broadcast live on the radio at AM 1300 in Colorado Springs. Jay Ritchie handles the play-by-play duties.

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 31-98 while at the Academy and holds a career record of 108-160 (10th year).
• Colorado State is coached by Jen Warden (Colorado, 1993), who is in her first season. She has led the Rams to a 7-11 record. Warden has a 36-70 career record in her fourth season.
• BYU is coached Jeff Judkins (Utah, 1978), who is in his fourth season. He has led the Cougars to a 94-47 record in his first-career head coaching position.
Series Records...
• Colorado State holds a 27-5 all-time series lead over Air Force. The Rams have won 19 straight in the series dating back to a 75-66 Air Force win on Nov. 27, 1990, at the Academy. Colorado State in 19-0 all-time in conference games vs. Air Force.
• BYU is 15-0 all-time vs. Air Force. The Cougars and Falcons began playing in 1998 as conference foes.

Next Up...
The Falcons host San Diego State on Wednesday, Feb. 8, at 7 p.m. in Clune Arena. Air Force then travels to Wyoming to take on the Cowgirls on Saturday, Feb. 11, at 2 p.m. in Laramie, Wyo.

This Week...
The Air Force women's basketball team travels to Fort Collins to take on Colorado State on Thursday, Feb. 2, at 7 p.m. in Moby Arena. The team then returns home to host BYU on Saturday, Feb. 4, at 2 p.m. in Clune Arena.

LAST WEEK...
Air Force played just once last week, dropping a 66-56 decision at home to UNLV. The Falcons fell behind by as many as 21 points late in the second half before using a 23-5 run to pull to within three points, 59-56 with 1:49 remaining. The Rebels scored the game's final seven points to make up the final margin. Alecia Steele scored 10 points, grabbed six rebounds and had a career-high seven steals to lead the Falcons. Ellen Jaeschke added eight points and seven rebounds while Andrea Taylor scored seven points and had six assists. The Falcons recorded a season-best 17 steals in the game.

Scouting the Falcons...
Air Force is led in scoring by sophomore forward Alecia Steele, who averages 10.3 points per game. She is also the team's leading rebounder with a 6.8 average. Steele is the lone Falcon to score in double figures. Sophomore Pamela Findlay is second in scoring with a 9.9 average.
The Falcons are shooting 39.6 percent from the field, including a 31.5 clip from three-point range. Air Force is out-rebounding its opponents by 6.0 per game. The team has lost five straight dating back to a 63-59 overtime win at San Diego State on Jan. 7. The team is 1-3 on the road in MWC play and 0-3 at home. Air Force averages 64.1 points per game while allowing 61.6 per outing.

Scouting the opponents...
Colorado State is second in the conference in scoring at 67.9 points per game. The Rams lead the league in free throw percentage with a 76.1 mark. Air Force is second at 74.2 percent. Colorado State is fourth in the MWC in field goal percentage (42.1) and leads the conference in three-point field goal percentage (36.9). Senior Melissa Dennett is the team's top scorer with a 15.3 per-game average. She ranks fourth in the conference in scoring. Dennett is also the MWC's top rebounder with a 9.0 mark.
BYU has won nine consecutive games and rests atop the league standings with a 7-0 record. The Cougars are 17-1 overall. BYU leads the league in scoring margin with a 14.4 mark. BYU is the top defensive team in the conference, allowing just 53.1 points per game. Opponents are shooting just 33.3 percent from the field and 24.1 percent from three-point range against BYU. Both figures are tops in the conference. Senior Ambrosia Anderson leads the conference in scoring with a 19.4 mark. She is second in rebounding with a 7.9 average. Anderson is one of the league's top three-point shooters, hitting 2.17 treys per game.

SECOND TIME AROUND...
Air Force and BYU are playing for the second time this season. The Cougars defeated Air Force, 64-43, earlier this season in Provo, Utah. For more information on that game, please turn to page four of this release.

How We Rate...
In the latest conference statistics released Jan. 30, Air Force found itself ranked at the top or near the top in a few categories.
The Falcons are second in the MWC in free throw percentage (.742), while ranking second in rebounding offense (40.0 pg) and first in offensive rebounds (16.0).
In addition, several Falcons rank among the conference's top-10 individual leaders in various categories:

Rank Stat


FG Pct.
Pamela Findlay 8 .455

3PT FG Pct.
Pamela Findlay 5 .438

3PT FG Made
Pamela Findlay 9 1.56

Rebounds
Alecia Steele 8 6.8

Off. Rebounds
Alecia Steele 2 2.82

Blocks
Ellen Jaeschke T1 1.33

Henderson in, out...
After missing five games following an emergency appendectomy, sophomore point guard Lauren Henderson returned to the Air Force lineup on Jan. 11 for the team's first meeting with Wyoming.
Henderson, averaging 11.4 points and 5.2 assists per contest prior to the surgery, went scoreless with one assist and one steal in 12 minutes against the Cowgirls. She then was back in the lineup for Air Force's game at TCU, where she finished with three points and four assists in 23 minutes of play.
Despite her brief return, Henderson again missed games at Utah, against New Mexico and UNLV, due to a stint with a strep throat and a death in the family.

EJ's Block Party...
Sophomore Ellen Jaeschke continues to prove her value as a shot blocker, most recently matching a career-high five blocked shots in the Falcons' win over MWC rival San Diego State.
Jaeschke first set the mark last month in a loss to Denver, recording five blocks in that contest as well. 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 is tied for the conference lead in blocked hots on the year with a 1.33 per-game average. She is tied with Desiree Johnson of San Diego State and Melissa Dennett of Colorado State.

Steele and steals...
Sophomore Alecia Steele recorded a career-high seven steals against UNLV in Air Force's last game, which is the most by a Falcon this season. Her seven steals are the third most ever by an Air Force player and most since LaToya Howell set the record for Division I games with eight vs. UNLV on Feb. 2, 2002. Prior to Howell's total in 2002, the most by a Falcon in a game was 10 set in 1984 by Stacey Goss vs. Colorado College.
Air Force recorded a season high with 17 steals vs. UNLV. The team's previous best was 15 vs. Utah Valley State on Nov. 23 . The 17 steals was just three off the school record of 20 set several times.

Still Crashing the boards...
In its 11 games versus non-conference opponents this year, Air Force was very consistent about one thing--its rebounding. The Falcons had outrebounded its 11 non-conference opponents. Since the beginning of the conference slate however, the Falcons have only outrebounded one team, San Diego State, and that has accounted for their lone conference win. Air Force had a 12.3 rebounding margin in the 11 non-conference games. Since entering conference play, that margin has falled to minus 4.0 per game.

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.

They Didn't Come Free...
Although the Falcons have been rated amongst the top free-throw shooting teams 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.

Road Warriors...
With its win at San Diego State in the first week of conference play, Air Force picked up its fifth road win of the season, marking the most ever in the team's Division I history.

Taylor Steps Up...
With Lauren Henderson out of the starting lineup, 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 her last two games, Taylor has averaged 7.0 assists per game. She recorded a career-high eight assists against New Mexico and added six more last week vs. UNLV. She leads the team with 56 assists on the year and is among the conference leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio with a 1.24 mark to rank 11th.

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 20th place on the career scoring list with 767 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.
Meanwhile, sophomore Ellen Jaeschke, who has 24 blocks on the season, recently moved into sixth place on the list of career blocked shots with 50.

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 12 of the team's 16 players are freshmen (6) 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.

It's A Midwest Thing...
The Air Force roster certainly has a Midwestern flavor this season, as eight of the 16 players hail from either Illinois or Missouri. In fact, four of the six 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 played considerable 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.