There’s little Air Force women’s basketball hasn’t seen over the past decade or so. But there hasn’t been much of this –- an effort the team found lacking. The Falcons fell at home 70-59 to Boise State on Wednesday as the Broncos shot 52% from the field. “I think everybody can agre e that when they come to watch us play that they’re going to see Air Force basketball,” Falcons coach Stacy McIntyre said. “That was just not it tonight. You don’t want to lose, but the times that we do lose, we’re out there spilling it. I didn’t see anybody doing that tonight.” The Falcons forced 26 turnovers, coming up with 15 steals, but they committed 19 of their own and were outscored 20-17 in points off turnovers. They had five shots blocked and shot 36.2% from the field. Air Force Academy’s Keelie O’Hallaren (13) battles for the rebound with Boise State’s Mason Borcherding (21) in the first half at Clune Arena in Colorado Springs on Wednesday. (The Gazette, Michael G. Seamans) “I think we had a very big lack of energy,” said senior Milahnie Perry, who scored a team-high 17 points. “I think it starts in practice. We could have had a lot better practices this week and more of holding each other accountable, and we just didn’t have that this week so it showed up today. “We’re going to regroup tonight. We all recognize that we have a part in it no matter what our role is on the team. Tomorrow practice, it’s on. It’s definitely fixable.” That’s the question now, as the Falcons (7-8, 1-4 Mountain West) dip below .500 for the season. Last year the team started 1-7 in Mountain West play before winning five of its next seven. Is a run like that in this squad that, while flush with upperclassmen, seems to be missing the consistent scoring provided by Madison Smith and the sure-handed passing of Jo Huntimer? Smith and Huntimer were instrumental in that run last season before graduating in May. “It’s definitely frustrating, especially because I know we are a much better team than what we’ve been showing,” Perry said. “But I have full confidence and faith that we can bounce back just like we did (last year). It sucks that we’re even in this position again, but I know that we can definitely bounce back.” Boise State (11-5, 2-3) certainly had a hand in creating the frustrations. The Broncos capitalized on their size to force Air Force into difficult shots and Mya Hansen and Natalie Pasco combined to go 10 of 12 from 3-point range to consistently keep the lead padded. Pasco finished with 24 points on 9-of-11 shooting, while Hansen had 15 while going 5 of 6. The Falcons had 12 points from Keelie O’Hollaren, who hit three of her four 3-pointers in the second half. But once she got hot, McIntyre pointed out that the team couldn’t find a way to get her the ball. “It looked liked we were in another country in the half court,” McIntyre said. Air Force Academy’s Jayda McNabb (10) loses the ball as she is defended by Boise State’s Dani Bayes (4) in the first half at Clune Arena in Colorado Springs on Wednesday, January 7, 2026. (The Gazette, Michael G. Seamans) The Falcons go to San Jose State on Saturday to face the last-place team in the Mountain West, but after that is a home game against league-leading Colorado State on Wednesday and then road games at Wyoming and UNLV. The challenges won’t let up, so it will be up to Air Force to meet them with efforts that are more in keeping with the standard this program has established over time. “People have to start stepping up,” said McIntyre, who is in her second year at the helm after spending nine years as the program’s top assistant. “And the things they do well they have to do them well consistently.” ...read more read less