Air Force Academy

Provo, Utah -
Shooting just over 25 percent from the field, the Air Force women's basketball team fell, 71-51, to BYU Thursday evening in the Marriott Center. With the loss, the Falcons fall to 7-15 on the season (2-7 in the MWC), while the Cougars improve to 15-8, 6-4 in league play.
Neither team could get its offense going early in the contest, with the score tied at 4-4 over four minutes into the contest. However, after the Falcons took a 9-7 advantage with a three-pointer by sophomore captain Letricia Castillo (Anchorage, Alaska), the Cougars responded with an 11-1 run to take an 18-10 lead. Air Force scored the next six points to come within two, but BYU countered with seven unanswered points as they rolled to a 33-22 lead at the half.
The Falcons began the second half with a three-point play by Alecia Steele (Fr., Oklahoma City, Okla.), but BYU scored 18 straight points to bulldoze its way to a 51-25 advantage. Air Force did not make it back into the scoring column until the 10:40 mark, when junior Briana Thomas (Grass Valley, Calif.) broke away for a layup in the open court. The Cougars continued to hold on to a large margin, though the Falcons made a run in the closing minutes, cutting a 27-point deficit to 17. However, BYU, which shot 44 percent for the game, was clearly in control until the very end as it cruised to the 71-51 victory.
The Falcons did record a season-high 17 steals in the contest, getting 27 of their 51 points off of 22 BYU turnovers. However, Air Force committed 23 of its own turnovers and hit just 16 field goals in the contest.
Steele led all Falcons in scoring with 11 points, while adding a game-high 11 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season. Freshman Ellen Jaeschke (Cary, Ill.) added nine points, three rebounds, three steals and a block, while Ashley Mickens (Fr., Eagle River, Alaska) pitched in eight points, seven rebounds, three steals, two blocks and an assist.
Leading the way for the Cougars was Colorado Springs native Ambrosia Anderson, who scored all of her game-high 15 points in the second half while adding eight rebounds. Kristen Kozlowski added 11 points and eight rebounds, while Mallary Gillespie had 10 points and seven boards in the contest.
The Falcons return to action on Saturday, Feb. 19, when they wrap up their road trip against Utah. Air Force will take on the Utes at 3:00 p.m. in the Huntsman Center.