Air Force Academy

Dec. 21, 2010

Following a two-week hiatus, the Air Force women's basketball team returns to action Wednesday, Dec. 22, when it visits Des Moines, Iowa, to face Drake. The game is slated to begin at 5:05 p.m. (CT) at the Knapp Center.

Last Time Out...

The Falcons shot over 53 percent from the field, but committed 24 turnovers as they dropped a 73-62 road contest to Denver on Dec. 8.

Scouting the Falcons...

Air Force enters this week's contest with a 4-6 overall record (0-4 on the road) following its loss to Denver on Dec. 8.

Senior Raimee Beck is the Falcons' leading scorer with 13.7 points per game, while sophomores Kelsey Berger (10.9 ppg) and Dymond James (10.0 ppg) are also averaging in double figures scoring. Meanwhile, James is Air Force's leading rebounder with 7.8 boards per contest.

Scouting the Bulldogs...

Drake enters Wednesday night's game with a 5-5 overall record (2-4 at home). The Bulldogs dropped a narrow 75-71 decision to 14th-ranked Iowa Monday evening.

Senior Kristin Turk leads the Bulldogs with 19.3 points per game, while Rachael Hackbarth is also averaging in double figures with 13.4 points per contest. Hackbarth also leads the team with 6.4 rebounds per game.

How We Rate...

In the latest conference statistics, Air Force leads the MWC in field goal percentage (.432), ranks second in three-point field goal percentage (.365), and ranks third in rebounding defense (35.4), steals (8.6) and turnover margin (+0.4).

Meanwhile, several Falcons rank among the conference's top-10 individual leaders in various categories:

                                   Rank     Stat

Scoring

Raimee Beck              8           13.7

Rebounds

Dymond James          6           7.8

FG Pct.

Kelsey Berger             9           .466

Assists

Megan Muniz             8           4.0

Steals

Jamela Satterfield     6           2.1

3PT FG Pct.

Kelsey Berger             5           .435

Raimee Beck              8           .382

3PT FG Made

Raimee Beck              4           2.3

Blocked Shots

Megan O'Neil            8           1.0

Assist/Turnover Ratio

Megan Muniz             5           1.7

Offensive Rebounds

Raimee Beck              6           2.9

Defensive Rebounds

Raimee Beck              6           5.5

Back in Action...

After two weeks off from competition, the Falcons finally return to action with their game at Drake on Wednesday. Air Force will then take another break before returning home to face service academy rival Navy on Dec. 30.

At the top...

Air Force has shot the ball extremely well so far this season, currently leading the Mountain West Conference in field goal percentage, while ranking second in three-point field goal percentage. In contrast, the Falcons ranked eighth and ninth in the league, respectively, in those two categories last season.

Kelsey Leads the way...

Sophomore Kelsey Berger was the Falcons' top performer in their game at Denver on Dec. 8, finishing the game with a season-high 19 points, while adding seven rebounds. Berger, who hit a career-high-tying four three-pointers in the game, shot 50 percent from the field (6-of-12) and 57.1 percent from long range (4-of-7).

Hot Shooting, poor handling...

In their loss to Denver on Dec. 8, the Falcons shot over 50 percent from the field (24-of-45) for the second time this season. However, Air Force was hampered by its inability to keep control of the ball, committing a season-high-tying 24 turnovers.

Next Up...

Following a short holiday break, the Falcons return home to face service-academy rival Navy on Dec. 30. The game is slated to begin at 6:00 p.m. in Clune Arena.

Complete Release in PDF Format