Dec. 6, 2008
Final Stats
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Miami used a 15-0 run midway through the second half to reverse a five-point deficit, then scored 10 straight points later in the period to earn a 66-56 victory over host Air Force in the championship game of the Air Force Classic Saturday afternoon. Jenna Schone was named tournament MVP after tallying 12 points and six assists in the final game.
Jaclyn Leininger scored 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds to earn all-tournament honors, while Ashley Hawkins added 10 points and six assists. Raimee Beck of Air Force (3-5) led all scorers with 25 points, hitting nine of 12 from the field, including three three-pointers.
The RedHawks (5-2) trailed 36-31 with 13:48 remaining in the game when they executed their second-longest scoring streak of the season. They tallied 15 straight points from four different players to open their first double-digit advantage of the game, 46-36 at the 10:24 mark. In yesterday's win over Texas-Pan American, Miami tallied 19 points in a row.
The Falcons, who have never won their own tournament in its 13-year existence, closed the gap to five, 49-44, with 6:43 left, but Maggie Boyer hit back-to-back threes to start a 10-0 run that pushed the lead back to 15, 59-44, by the 4:18 mark.
"It was a great second half," Head Coach Maria Fantanarosa said. "Our defense picked up the pace after halftime and created some offense. That gave us confidence and we made some shots toward the end. We had no answer for Beck, but we were solid against the rest of their team. They are scrappy and I wasn't comfortable until the last minute."
Both teams started slowly, each hitting one of its first seven attempts from the floor. Miami climbed ahead 10-6 after seven-and-a-half minutes and was ahead 12-9 when Air Force exploded. An 11-0 run put the Falcons ahead by eight, 20-12, by the 4:43 mark. When the RedHawks surrendered the lead at 14-12 on the 12th straight made three-pointer by Beck, it marked the first time they had trailed since the middle of the Wright State game -- a span of almost 83 minutes.
But Miami responded toward the end of the half. Down 22-14 with 3:59 to play, the RedHawks ended the period on a 9-3 run that made the deficit only two, 25-23, at the break.
Miami finished the game with a shooting percentage of 43.1 percent, but rebounded from a 30.0-percent effort in the opening frame by hitting 57.1 percent after intermission. Air Force heated up as well, making 52.2 percent in the second half after opening at 36.0 percent. The RedHawks forced 24 turnovers, while committing only 13 of their own. The Falcons held a slim 33-31 advantage on the boards.
Miami returns to action on Wednesday with a special noon game at Dayton. The Flyers are 6-3 this season following an upset of Penn State on Saturday.
