Dec. 6, 2007
Air Force-Wisconsin Media Notes in PDF Format 
Air Force Falcons (4-4) vs. Wisconsin Badgers (4-3)
Saturday, Dec. 8, 2007 • 11:00 a.m. (CST)
Madison, Wisc. • Kohl Center (17,142)
Radio/TV:
Radio and video is available online at www.uwbadgers.com.
Livestats:
None
Last Week:
Air Force defeated Northern Colorado, 56-53, on Wednesday, Dec. 5.
Wisconsin defeated IPFW, 85-69, and Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 79-59, in their last two games.
Up next:
Air Force hosts Cal State Stanislaus on Tuesday, Dec. 11.
Wisconsin hosts Wisconsin-Green Bay on Tuesday, Dec. 11.
Streaks:
Air Force has a one game winning streak. Wisconsin has a two game winning streak. The Falcons are 2-3 on the road. The Badgers are 2-1 at home this year.
Coaches:
Air Force is coached by Ardie McInelly (Boise State, 1982), who is 44-133 in her seventh season at the Academy and 121-195 in her 12th year overall as a head coach.
Wisconsin is coached by Lisa Stone (Iowa, 1984), who is 60-67 entering her fifth season and is 435-185 in her 23rd season overall as a head coach.
Last Meeting:
Wisconsin defeated Air Force, 91-68, in the season-opener for the Falcons on Nov. 10, 2006 in Clune Arena at the Academy.
Series History vs. Wisconsin
- Air Force and Wisconsin played each other for the first time last year.
Air Force vs. the Big Ten Conference
- The Falcons are 0-2 all-time against Big 10 Conference schools. In addition to its game last year against the Badgers, the Falcons lost to Minnesota in the championship game of the 2003 Air Force Classic at the Academy.
Scouting Wisconsin
- Wisconsin enters the weekend with a 4-3 record after defeating IPFW and UW-Milwaukee in its last two games.
- The Badgers are led by senior guard Jolene Anderson, who leads the team with 22.2 points and 8.6 rebounds per game.
- Wisconsin is averaging 71.3 points per game and allowing 66.4.
- Air Force is the second Mountain West Conference team Wisconsin will face this season. Earlier in the year, the Badgers lost at Wyoming, 66-67, in overtime.
Scouting Air Force
- Air Force is 4-4 on the season. The Falcons defeated Northern Colorado, 56-53, on Wednesday.
- Senior forward Alecia Steele leads the team with 16.3 points and 9.4 rebounds per game.
- Air Force is averaging 64.0 points per game and allowing 68.5.
Last Meeting
Unable to overcome a 28-point halftime deficit, the Air Force women's basketball team suffered a 91-58 loss to Wisconsin on Nov. 10, 2006, in Clune Arena.
Wisconsin took the lead from the opening tip and never looked back, leading by as many as 29 points in the first half. The Badgers shot nearly 59 percent from the field in the opening stanza, including 75 percent (6-of-8) from long range, while the Falcons knocked down just 31 percent of their shots.
Air Force had a stronger performance in the second half, shooting nearly 44 percent, but could get no closer than 22 points the rest of the way.
Junior Pamela Findlay led the Falcons with 15 points, while Alecia Steele notched her seventh career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Also scoring in double figures for Air Force was junior Lauren Henderson, who finished with 12 points after knocking down 7-of-9 from the free throw line.
Recapping The Northern Colorado Game
In another game that came down to the last shot, the Air Force women's basketball team (4-4) hung on to defeat Northern Colorado (4-4), 56-53, Wednesday, Dec. 5, at the Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion.
With eight seconds remaining in regulation, Northern Colorado set up a final play to tie the game but Kate Kevorken could not make her three-point attempt and Air Force came out with the win. The Falcons have had nail-biting finishes several times already this year, as opponents have twice, hit buzzer-beating three's to tie the game.
Air Force was led by senior Alecia Steele, who had a season-high 22 points and nine rebounds in a career-high 40 minutes. Steele took over in the second half, scoring 12 of the Falcons 27 points, including six of their last eight points.
Kim Kreke had a career-high 10 ponts and Jamie Davis added 11 points. Raimee Beck had a career-high six assists.
Nothern Colorado was led by Whitley Cox, who had 13 points in the game. Cox left the game with six minutes left, suffering a knee injury on a drive to the basket. Courtney Stoermer added 12 points and Danielle Hagen scored 10.
In the first half, the Falcons overcame early turnover problems to take a two point lead, 29-27, into halftime. Trailing by nine points with 5:30 remaining in the first half, Air Force utilized a 14-3 run over the remainder of the half. Kim Kreke's left-handed fadeaway runner with 26 seconds left in the half, gave the Falcons their first lead.
Air Force led by as many as eight in the second-half, but UNC stormed back and retook a two-point lead with 10 minutes left in the game. Trailing by one, Steele scored a basket with 5:50 remaining to put the Falcons up 50-49. The Falcons led for the rest of the game.
Steele Eclipses 1,000 Point Barrier Against Hampton
With a season-high 21 points against Hampton, senior forward Alecia Steele surpassed the 1,000 career point barrier, becoming the 11th player in Air Force history to reach the 1,000 mark. Steele is just the second player, joining `07 grad Letricia Castillo, to accomplish the feat since the Falcons moved up to Div. I play. Steele enters the Wisconsin contest with 1,051 career points.
Findlay An All-Purpose Threat For Falcons
Senior guard Pamela Findlay is off to a strong senior season, proving her ability as a well-rounded player. Findlay is coming off a strong weekend, where she set career-bests with 23 points, four blocks and 40 minutes played against Hampton. A do-it-all player, Findlay currently ranks amongst the conference's top 11 in several categories:
Category # Rank
3Pt Pct. 40.0 6
Blk 1.50 3
Fth Pct. 75.0 11
Steals 1.50 9
3Pt Fg 1.25 11
Scoring 13.3 11
Learning To Close Out Games
Air Force has played two overtime games and had a third game that came down to a final shot. In all three games, the Falcons led by as many as eight points in the second half only to see teams rally late in the game. The Falcons have gone into overtime, twice, on buzzer-beating three's by the opposition to end regulation. The Falcons lost in overtime at St. Francis and recovered to beat Hampton in the extra period. Against Nothern Colorado, the Falcons survived a missed three-point attempt at the buzzer for the three-point win.
MWC Leaders
Air Force has several players at or near the top of some statistical categories in the Mountain West Conference. Alecia Steele leads the conference in rebounding, averaging 9.4 boards per game and is secondin scoring averaging 16.3 points per game. Raimee Beck is second three's per game (2.38), fourth in three-point percentage (.413) and fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio (+1.32). Pamela Findlay is third and Kim Kreke fifth in blocked shots.
Air Force strong in rebounding, shot-blocking and free throw shooting
Air Force ranks second in the Mountain West Conference in rebounding, shot-blocking and third in free throw shooting percentage. The Falcons are pulling down 40.0 boards per game, blocking 4.88 shots per game and sinking 72 percent of their free throws. All three categories are significantly improved from a year ago.
Category 2006-07 2007-08 Improvement
Rebounding 36.2 40.0 +3.8
Shot Blocks 2.62 4.88 +2.26
Free throw % 68.0 72.0 +4.0%
Findlay and Steele Named Team Captains for 2007-08
The captains for the 2006-07 basketball season are seniors Pamela Findlay and Alecia Steele. Both are first-year captains.
Falcons Picked Ninth
In the preseason conference poll released Oct. 17, Air Force was chosen by the coaches and select media to finish ninth in the Mountain West.
Wyoming was tabbed as the preseason favorite for the first time in MWC history after winning the WNIT Championship and finishing tied for second place in last year's regular-season standings. Wyoming received 24-of-30 first-place votes and 203 total points. TCU had two first-place votes and finished second with 188 points, followed by BYU with one first-place vote and 182 points. New Mexico placed fourth, followed by Utah, UNLV, San Diego State, Colorado State and Air Force.
Last year's MWC Co-Player of the Year, TCU senior guard Adrianne Ross, earned Top Returning Player honors, while Leilani Mitchell of Utah was named Top Newcomer and San Diego State's Paris Johnson was tabbed Top Freshman.
Noting The Starters
Noting Alecia Steele
- Became the 11th player in Air Force history to score over 1,000 points against Hampton. Is just the second Falcons to do so in the Div. I era.
- Leads the MWC with 9.4 rebounds per game.
- Has three double-doubles on the year.
- Scored a season-high 22 points in career-high 40 minutes against Nothern Colorado.
- Named to Air Force Classic All-Tournament Team.
Noting Pamela Findlay
- Scored a career-high 23 points against Hampton.
- Played a career-high 40 minutes against Hampton.
- Had a career-high four blocked shots against Hampton.
- Led team in scoring in both games of Air Force Classic.
- Named to Air Force Classic All-Tournament Team.
Noting Kim Kreke
- Has started all eight games at center.
- Tied a career-high with 10 points against Northern Colorado.
- Ranks second on team and fifth in conference with 1.25 blocks per game.
Noting Brooke Cultra
- Pulled down a season-high 11 rebounds against Hampton.
- Has started all eight games at guard.
- Second on team with 23 assists.
- Second on team and ninth in MWC with 6.6 rebounds per game.
Noting Raimee Beck
- Second in the MWC with 2.38 three's per game.
- Has led team in scoring three times.
- Leads team and ranks seventh in conference with 25 assists.
- Ranks fifth in assist-to-turnover ration in MWC (+1.32)
- Has logged 40-or-more minutes in a game three times and 38-or-more five times this season.
Up Next
Air Force plays host to Cal State Stanislaus on Tues., Dec. 11 at 7 p.m.
