Box Score 

USAFA, Colo. – The Army women’s basketball team rode a 17-2 run over the final four minutes en route to a 54-44 victory live on The Mtn. Saturday afternoon at Clune Arena. Sophomore F Erin Anthony scored seven of her 12 points over the final 3:56 to key the Black Knights in their second victory of the season over the service academy rival Falcons. Senior G Alex McGuire led all players with 16 points, while sophomore G/F Laura Baranek added 10 points.

“I am just thrilled with the way that we executed down the stretch today,” said head coach Dave Magarity. “Erin did a tremendous job in the final minutes and we really just saw everything come together. I’m very proud of the way these kids played, especially on the defensive end, this afternoon.”

Sophomore G Nalini Hawkins added seven points, while senior F Megan Evans chipped in with six for the Black Knights, as Army improved to 2-4 on the season. Air Force dropped to 1-4.

The Falcons owned a 37-29 advantage off the glass, but Army match Air Force’s 19 rebounds in the second half. Anthony paced the Black Knights with seven boards and senior G/F Courtney Wright finished with six.

Both teams shot 35 percent from the floor, featuring a 17-of-48 effort from the Black Knights. Army out-scored the Falcons, 22-16, in points off turnovers as the team committed a season-low 12 miscues on the afternoon.

Army took a 24-22 halftime lead and came out to score the first four points of the second half, as Baranek’s jumper and Anthony’s layin both fell in the first two minutes to extend the Black Knights’ lead to six, 28-22.

The Falcons owned seven of the next 11 points, making it a one-point game yet again, 30-29, with 14 minutes to play. Neither team scored over the next three minutes before McGuire’s jumper ended the drought and stretched the lead to 33-29 at the 11:13 mark.

Coiffard then initiated a steal on the other end, which allowed Army to extend its lead to 35-29 – its largest lead to that point - on an Anthony layup with 9:46 remaining. The Falcons responded with an  8-2 run over the next 3:35 to establish their first lead, 37-35, since the 12:21 mark of the second half.

A pair of McGuire free throws followed, tying the score at 37-37 with 5:49 to play. The Falcons scored the next five points to establish its largest lead of the game, 42-37 (4:23). McGuire found Anthony in the post just 27 seconds later, igniting a 12-0 Army turnaround over the next two minutes that re-established a 45-42 Black Knight lead with 2:06 on the clock. Anthony helped the cause with seven points, including five from the free throw line, while McGuire added five tallies during the critical surge. Army hung on to hit 7-of-8 from the free throw line over the final 1:13 to seal the win.

Army opened the game hot from long range, as Hawkins (18:36) and McGuire (16:02) triples surrounded an Evans hook shot over the first five minutes of action, as Air Force took a 10-8 lead with 15:25 on the clock.  The Black Knights went on to take a 13-12 advantage following a wide-open three-point bucket courtesy of sophomore G Jessie Coiffard and a 10-foot baseline jumper from Baranek.

Both teams hit a bit of a scoring slump before McGuire’s three from the right baseline made it 16-14 with just under 10 minutes to play in the half.  The teams went on to exchange baskets for the remainder of the half. The Black Knights took their largest lead of the half, 24-20, on a Hawkins putback at the three-minute mark. A pair of Falcon free throws made for a 24-22 Army lead at the break.

Air Force’s Kim Kreke finished with a double-double (15 points, 11 rebounds) for the Falcons.

Army opens December with a Wednesday night match-up against Albany at West Point, N.Y. A 7 p.m. tip-off from Christl Arena is scheduled.

Game Notes: The game was played at 2 p.m. local time ... the teams combined for just eight first-half fouls (three Army, five Air Force) ... the Black Knights held a halftime lead (24-22) for the third time this season ... Army arrived on Wednesday and spent Thanksgiving with the family of freshman G/F Kait Goodall ... a large contingent of Army fans made the trip, including the parents of freshman F Lauren Lybbert and senior G/F Courtney Wright, who made the out-of-state trek from Iowa and New Mexico, respectively ... the game marked the first of three national television contests for the Black Knights, which also includes appearances on ESPNU against Rutgers (Dec. 14) and Navy (Jan. 24) ... Army closed the gap in its all-time series against Air Force, which the Falcons still lead, 7-6.