Air Force Academy

Laramie, Wyo. - Hitting just 28 percent from the field, the Air Force women's basketball team posted its lowest total output of the season in a 59-33 loss to Wyoming Saturday afternoon in Arena Auditorium. With the loss, the Falcons fall to 12-10 on the season, 3-8 in the MWC, while the Cowgirls improve to 16-6, 6-5 in the league.


After Wyoming rattled off an 8-0 advantage through the first four minutes, the Falcons, paced by sophomore Pamela Findlay (Glenview, Ill.) scored six unanswered points of their own to get within two. However, Air Force, which shot under 24 percent in the opening stanza and committed 13 first-half turnovers, was outscored 25-8 over the remainder of the period to go into the locker room trailing 33-14.

Although junior co-captain Letricia Castillo (Anchorage, Alaska) scored the first basket after the break for the Falcons, the Cowgirls responded with seven more points, capped off by a three-pointer by Hanna Zavecz to take a 40-16 lead just over two minutes into the half. Some tough defense by Air Force kept Wyoming from scoring for the next five minutes, but the Falcons' offense could not take advantage, getting just two points from Findlay in that same span. The Cowgirls, who hit seven three-pointers in the game, took their largest lead, a 57-25 advantage, at the 5:11 mark after a made long-range jumper from Erin Hicks, before cruising to the 59-33 victory.

Findlay, who played all but one minute for the short-handed Falcons, led the Air Force offense with 13 points and a game-high seven rebounds. For the Cowgirls, Zavecz tallied 14 points and grabbed five steals, while Michelle Taylor added 12 points.

The Falcons return to action on Wednesday, Feb. 15, when they get set to host conference-foe TCU in a 7:00 p.m. contest in Clune Arena.