Air Force Academy

The Air Force women's basketball team officially begins the 2004-05 season this weekend, Nov. 19-20, as it hosts the Radisson Inn Air Force Classic, featuring Louisiana-Lafayette, Montana State and UC Davis. The Falcons face Montana State at 1:00 p.m. Friday, with the other two teams scheduled to tip off at 3:00 p.m. The Air Force-Montana State game will be broadcast locally by The Sports Animal 1300 AM with Jay Ritchie handling play-by-play duties. The consolation game of the tournament will take place Saturday at 11:00 a.m., followed by the championship game at 1:00 p.m.

Scouting the Bobcats...
Montana State picked up exhibition wins over NWBL Elite and Baden Sports to start out its season. Leading the way for the Bobcats in the preseason was senior Kati Burrows, who notched 22 points in each of the two contests.

In its victory over Baden Sports Monday evening, Montana State shot 56 percent from the field. In addition to Burrows' 22 points, senior Hillary Scott added 23 points.

Scouting the Ragin' Cajuns...
Louisiana-Lafayette fell to Everyone's Internet, 90-58, before capturing a close 69-66 victory over the Jackson Babes in preseason action. Senior Anna Petrakova notched double-doubles in both contests, recording a combined 33 points and 21 rebounds.

The Ragin' Cajuns had four players score in double figures against the Jackson Babes, led by Ashley Blanche, who had 15 points and nine assists. The Cajuns also had just four second-half turnovers to help seal the victory over the Babes.

Scouting the Aggies...
UC Davis, which is in its second year of a four-year transition to Division I, did not compete in any preseason exhibition games.

The Aggies finished last season with a 16-12 overall record and an 11-11 mark in California Collegiate Athletic Association play. UC Davis returns three starters from the 2003-04 squad, including second-team All-CCAA selection Ellen Porshneva.

Series Records...
Montana State leads the series with Air Force 3-0. UC Davis has a 3-1 advantage in the series against the Falcons, while Air Force and Louisiana-Lafayette have never met.

Season Openers...
The Falcons are 18-10 all-time in season opening games and are 12-6 in season openers at home. Last season, Air Force had a heartbreaking 68-67 overtime loss to Texas-Pan American in its opener. The last season-opening victory for the Falcons was a 61-56 win over Adams State to begin the 2002-03 season. Air Force went on that year to earn a 7-21 overall record, its best mark since making the transition to Division I.

Shooting Woes...
After shooting over 42 percent in the first exhibition game against Colorado School of Mines, the Falcons managed to hit only 29.2 percent of its shots, including just 13.3 percent from beyond the arc, in the Metro State game. Air Force's shooting problems proved to be the decisive factor in its loss to the Roadrunners, as Metro State shot nearly 42 percent from the field in the game.

Taking Care of The Ball...
Against the Orediggers in the first exhibition game, the Falcons showed great progress in showing their ability to take care of the ball, committing just 14 turnovers. Last season, Air Force averaged over 21 turnovers per game and had 14 or less turnovers on just four occasions.

The Falcons committed 20 turnovers in their loss to Metro State, but were still below last season's average.

Block Party...
In its two exhibition contests, Air Force has averaged eight blocks per game. The nine blocked shots against Metro State matched a Division I regular season record for the Falcons. Freshman Ellen Jaeschke was responsible for six of the team's 16 blocks.

Crashing The Boards...
Air Force outrebounded its opponent in both of its preseason contests. After gaining a 42-38 advantage on the boards in the first exhibition game against Colorado School of Mines, the Falcons outrebounded Metro State 41-34. Additionally, Air Force got more than half of its rebounds against the Roadrunners on the offensive glass, grabbing 24.

Freshman Alecia Steele has been relentless on the boards, averaging 13 rebounds in the two exhibition games. Fourteen of Steele's 26 rebounds in the preseason were gained on the offensive end.

Impressive Debuts...
Several Air Force players have been impressive in their debuts as Falcons. Freshman Alecia Steele posted a double-double (12 pts., 12 rebs.) against Colorado School of Mines and followed that up with a nine-point, 14-rebound performance against Metro State. Steele also had a game-high five steals against the Orediggers and tied a game-high with three blocks against the Roadrunners.

Freshman point guard Lauren Henderson was impressive in her first two starts, dishing out 11 assists while committing just four turnovers.

Newcomer Ellen Jaeschke also made an impact for the Falcons, making her presence known in the post. In just 28 minutes of action, she scored six points, grabbed 12 rebounds, including eight on the offensive glass, and notched six blocked shots.

Novak Out...
After shooting 6-of-6 from the field in the first half of the exhibition game against Colorado School of Mines, sophomore center Jacki Novak played just one minute in the second half, leaving the game with a broken hand. On Nov. 8, Novak had surgery to place a pin in the hand and is expected to be out of action for 4-6 weeks.

Another Season...
The 2004-05 season marks the 29th year of Air Force women's basketball, which embarks upon its ninth season competing at the Division I level. After joining the Western Athletic Conference in 1996, Air Force became a charter member of the Mountain West Conference in 1999. The Falcons now begin their sixth season in the MWC.

Falcons Picked Eighth...
In the preseason conference poll released Oct. 24, Air Force was chosen by the coaches and select media to finish eighth in the Mountain West. For the first time, UNLV was the choice to finish atop the league, while New Mexico and Utah tied for second. Utah junior Kim Smith was tabbed the Top Returning Player in the voting, while BYU's Mary Martha Abell was named Top Newcomer.

Youth Will Be Served...
The Air Force basketball team is filled with youthful faces this year, as 12 of the 16 players on the roster are underclassmen (five sophomores, seven freshmen). Joining the Falcons this year are Alyson Busch, Jamie Davis, Pamela Findlay, Lauren Henderson, Ellen Jaeschke, Ashley Mickens and Alecia Steele.

...But They're Experienced
The Falcons return nine letterwinners from last year, including three players--sophomores Letricia Castillo, Jacki Novak and Andrea Taylor--who were starters at the conclusion of last season. Additionally, three other returners--seniors Gwen Grove and Jennifer Roesch and junior Briana Thomas--saw time in the starting lineup at some point in the season.

Our Captains...
The captains for the 2004-05 Falcons' squad are senior Jennifer Roesch and sophomore Letricia Castillo. Roesch, who dished out a team-high 75 assists in 2003-04, has 23 career starts under her belt, and enters this season in ninth place on the Falcons' career three-point field goals made list. Meanwhile, Castillo, an honorable mention All-Mountain West selection as a freshman, led Air Force in scoring last season with 12.0 points per game, while also averaging 3.0 rpg.

The Alaskans...
Having one native of Alaska on the roster is rare enough, but this season, the Falcons have two players who hail from the Anchorage area. Freshman Ashley Mickens, a native of Eagle River, Alaska, joins sophomore Letricia Castillo, an Anchorage native, on this year's squad. Mickens, who attended the Academy Prep School last year, played against Castillo throughout high school, when their teams (East Anchorage and Bartlett, respectively) faced off. This season, Castillo and Mickens will battle with each other, instead of against each other.

Next Up...
The Falcons head to Flagstaff, Ariz., for the Northern Arizona Thanksgiving Tournament Nov. 26-27. Air Force will face New Mexico State at 5:00 p.m. Friday, followed by a contest with either Albany or host NAU on Saturday.