WBB Preview: Utah State And Air Force Square Off In MWC Tournament
As the No. 10 seed in the 10/7 matchup of the 2025 Mountain West Tournament, Utah State will face the Air Force Falcons on Sunday evening. With a 7-11 conference record, Air Force has proven to be the better team thus far, but not by much. The Falcons got a lot of help from Utah State in their two-game sweep over the Aggies.
The Aggies couldn’t overcome some self-inflicted shortfalls and the Falcons took advantage, handing Utah State a pair of heartbreakers. In the first, the Aggies were coming off their first conference win and looking to build a streak when a near-absent third quarter sunk their attempt, and in the second, they were trying to avenge the first. Let's take a look back at the key stats from those meetings.
Game One: Jan. 29, 2025, Colorado Springs
Starting Lineups
Utah State
G Isabella Tanedo
G CJ Latta
F Taliyah Logwood
F Jamisyn Heaton
C Sophie Sene
Air Force
G Madison Smith
G Jo Huntimer
G Milahnie Perry
G Keelie O’Hollaren
F Jayda McNabb
Leaders
Points
USU: Cheyenne Stubbs, 21 - AFA: Keelie O’Hollaren, 18
Rebounds
USU: Jamisyn Heaton, 8 - AFA: Jordyn DeVaughn, 8
Assists
USU: Mia Tarver, 5 - AFA: Jo Huntimer, 10
Steals
USU: Cheyenne Stubbs, 3 - AFA: Madison Smith, 3
Blocks
USU: Jamisyn Heaton, 1 - AFA: Jayda McNabb, Milahnie Perry, Madison Smith, 1
Game Two: Feb. 19, 2025, Logan
Starting Lineups
Utah State
G Cheyenne Stubbs
G CJ Latta
G Elise Livingston
F Jamisyn Heaton
C Sophie Sene
Air Force
G Madison Smith
G Jo Huntimer
G Milahnie Perry
G Keelie O’Hollaren
F Jayda McNabb
Leaders
Points
USU: Jamisyn Heaton, Cheyenne Stubbs, 20 - AFA: Madison Smith 29
Rebounds
USU: Sophie Sene, 12 - AFA: Madison Smith 10
Assists
USU: CJ Latta, 6 - AFA: Jo Huntimer, 9
Steals
USU: CJ Latta, 3 - AFA: Jo Huntimer,4
Blocks
USU: Sophie Sene, 3 - AFA: Madison Smith, Jo Huntimer, Keelie O’Hollaren, 1
Notable Contributors
Utah State
G Cheyenne Stubbs, 5-5, Sr.
Season averages: 34.5 min, 16.4 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.4 SPG
Averages against AFA: 37.0 min, 20.5 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 2.5 APG, 2.0 SPG
G CJ Latta, 5-10, Fr.
Season averages: 31.9 min, 8.8 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1.2 SPG
Averages against AFA: 29.0 min, 8.5 PPG, 1.0 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.5 SPG
F Jamisyn Heaton, 5-10, Jr.
Season averages: 25.2 min, 9.1 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.2 SPG
Averages against AFA: 23.5 min, 15 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 2.5 APG, 0.5 SPG
G Elise Livingston, 5-9, Fr.
Season averages: 22.5 min, 5.8 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.5 SPG
Averages against AFA: 25.5 min, 5.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 3.0 APG, 0.0 SPG
F Taliyah Logwood, 5-9, Fr.
Season averages: 17.5 min, 9.4 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 0.5 APG, 1.5 SPG
Averages against AFA: 17 min, 8.0 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 0.0 APG, 1.5 SPG
C Sophie Sene, 6-3, Jr.
Season averages: 18.9 min, 4.8 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 0.5 APG, 0.6 SPG
Averages against AFA: 24 min, 2.5 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 2.0 APG, 0.5 SPG
G Mia Tarver, 5-7, Jr.
Season averages: 27.5 min, 9.3 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 1.7 APG, 2.1 SPG
Averages against AFA: 24.5 min, 8.0 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.5 SPG
G Denae Skelton, 5-8, Fr.
Season averages: 16 min, 4.7 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 0.5 APG, 0.4 SPG
Averages against AFA: 14 min, 2.0 PPG, 1.0 RPG, 1.0 APG, 0 SPG (Skelton only played in one game against AFA)
G Isabella Tanedo, 5-4, Jr.
Season averages: 8.3 min, 1.8 PPG, 0.6 RPG, 0,2 APG, 0.3 SPG
Averages against AFA: 7.0 min, 6.0 PPG, 0 RPG, 0 APG, 0 SPG (Tanedo only played in one game against AFA)
Air Force
G Milahnie Perry, 5-7, Jr.
Season averages: 30.3 min, 15.9 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.2 SPG
Averages against USU: 29.5 min, 12.0 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 2.0 APG, 0.5 SPG
G Madison Smith, 5-8, Sr.
Season averages: 30.8 min, 15.4 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 2.0 APG, 2.5 SPG
Averages against USU: 31.5 min, 21.5 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 4.0 APG, 2.5 SPG
G Jo Huntimer, 5-7, Sr.
Season averages: 29.4 min, 3.2 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 4.6 APG 1.8 SPG
Averages against USU: 31 min, 1.0 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 9.5 APG, 3.0 SPG
F Jayda McNabb, 5-10, So.
Season averages: 26.7 min, 8.1 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.3 APG, 1.8 SPG
Averages against USU: 23.5 min, 12.0 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.0 SPG
G Keelie O’Hollaren, 5-10, So.
Season averages: 22.8 min, 9.6 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 0.6 APG, 0.8 SPG
Averages against USU: 34 min, 20.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 0.5 APG, 0.5 SPG
G Jordyn DeVaughn, 5-6, So.
Season averages: 13.9 min, 5.2 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.4 SPG
Averages against USU: 22 min, 9.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG. 1.0 APG, 0 SPG
G Alexis Cortez, 5-11, So.
Season averages: 28.5 min, 4.7 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 1.3 APG, 1.4 SPG
Averages against USU: 18 min, 6.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 3.0 APG, 2.0 SPG (Cortez only played in one game against USU)
Last Three Games
USU last three: 2-1
- 82-75 win over San Jose State
- 93-75 win over Nevada
- 72-59 loss to Boise State
Utah State closed out its campaign playing its best basketball of the season. Other than running out of gas for the last few minutes in a competitive loss at Boise State, the Aggies have put together nearly three complete games of high-level basketball that looks like Aggie Basketball.
Both Stubbs and Latta played a pivotal role in Utah State’s victory over San Jose State. Both played for a full 40 minutes and hit massive three-pointers with under two minutes in the game to help the Aggies finish the job. The two guards combined for 50 points, with 30 from Stubbs and 20 from Latta.
Against Nevada, the Aggies implemented their game plan early, but shots just weren’t falling and the Aggies trailed 42-34 at the break. In the third quarter, shots started falling in a big way for Utah State and it posted a 37-point quarter to take command of the game. They used an impressive defensive effort to hold Nevada to a 32 percent shooting percentage and just 13 points in the fourth quarter to ice the game.
The Aggies were competitive with Boise State for most of the game, despite a stark rebounding deficit that appeared almost immediately. The Aggies used perimeter defense to stick around, but eventually, foul trouble caught up to the undersized Aggies, and the Broncos piled on late.
Air Force last three: 1-2
- 66-63 loss to San Diego State
- 75-68 win over Boise State
- 77-74 loss at New Mexico
At first glance, it seems that Air Force may have struggled towards the end of the season, but a closer look shows that the Falcons just like the Aggies, are playing about as well as they have all year. They dropped a close game against San Diego State, beat Boise State, and lost another close game at New Mexico.
Air Force is trending in the right direction, but Utah State is getting better faster. For the Aggies to finally get a win over Air Force, the main thing is that they need to get out of their own way. If nothing else, the Aggies just need to stay focused and locked in. They have shown everything they need to beat Air Force and advance to the second round of the tournament, and now they need to actually do it.
Beyond that, they need to stay competitive inside, own the perimeter, deal with Air Force’s stars and activate their own. Utah State can't afford to get pushed around inside by this Air Force team. Air Force is one of the only schools in the conference without an inherent size advantage against the Aggies, and Utah State needs to take advantage of that and control the paint.
At 6-3, Sophie Sene will likely be the biggest player on the court at times. Even as Sene, who is observing Ramadan, fights through the physical demands of fasting, she will still have a physical advantage on the basketball court against such an undersized opponent.
In their first game, the teams were evenly matched on the glass, each grabbing 40 rebounds apiece. In their second game, the Aggies regressed and were outrebounded by a small margin of 42-38. Utah State wants to claw that back to even or better in this matchup. The Aggies also regressed in points in the paint, but still won that battle from game one to game two. In the first meeting, the Aggies outscored the Falcons in the paint 28-22 and in the second they won with a slight 40-38 edge.
These two teams have taken roughly the same amount of three-pointers in their two meetings. In the first, they took the exact same amount with Air Force hitting 13 and Utah State hitting 10 on 33 attempts. In the second, Utah State took more attempts but hit on fewer of them. Air Force went 9 of 22 while the Aggies went 7 of 27. Utah State is a team that prides itself on outside shooting and, while Air Force boasts an impressive three-point barrage as well, the Aggies need to lean into their identity and own the perimeter. Creating a favorable margin from deep could give the Aggies a nice scoring advantage.
They'll need to slow down Perry, which they did to the tune of seven points and 3-of-15 shooting earlier in the year. They also need to keep O’Hollaren at bay. Letting her score her average is fine, but they can’t keep letting her put up career numbers.
While the Aggie defense will be focused on slowing down Air Force’s stars, on offense, they will be focused on getting their own engaged. The Aggies need star performances from their star players and they need contributions from just about everyone. Stubbs, in particular, has been playing very good basketball lately and needs to keep that up while Latta and Heaton work to back her up.
Players To Watch
Keelie O’Hollaren: After being burned by O’Hollaren twice this year, keeping her off the three-point line will be a top priority for Utah State’s defense. O’Hollaren has started in just 11 games this year and two of them were against the Aggies. It was a good bit of scouting by head coach Stacy McIntyre to put the three-point shooting specialist in the starting lineup against Utah State, and it paid off handsomely for McIntyre and her Falcon team. O'Hollaren and Smith make up a nasty shooting tandem that can turn a game around in a hurry, something Utah State hardly needs a reminder of.
The sophomore has been a solid scorer all year, but she finds another gear when she’s lined up against Utah State. She eclipsed her average of 9.6 points both times she played the Aggies, notching 18 the first time and then torching the Aggies with a new season-high of 23 points later in the year. In the former, she had four rebounds, an assist and a steal. In the latter, she had three rebounds and a block.
She has gone 13 of 26 from the field, 10 of 19 from deep, and 5 of 6 from the line in her two games against Utah State. The Aggies have plenty of other players to worry about, such as stars Perry and Smith, but if O’Hollaren continues to hold an apparent grudge against the Aggies, they will have to find a way to shut one of them down to make up for it.
Milahnie Perry: This game will feature two of the best-scoring guards in the conference. Perry is fifth, right behind Utah State’s very own Stubbs, and those two are topped only by Allyson Fertig with 18.9 points per game, Mia Jacobs with 18.4, and Emma Ronsiek with 17.7.
Utah State might have some answers here, though. Perry struggled in her second meeting against the Aggies and reached only seven points. But, in the first round, she had 17, so the Aggies know what she’s capable of. The former was her lowest-scoring performance in her last 10 games and one of the worst of her season. The Aggies will look to replicate that defensive performance that forced her to go 3 of 15, and if they can, they will be in good shape.
Madison Smith: As the entire Mountain West converges in Las Vegas, the most prolific defensive thief in the bunch is Smith. She is the league leader in takeaways with an average of 2.5 per game.
Smith is painful to play against. On defense, she brings an intensity that is as frustrating as it is effective. The Aggies saw this firsthand when she pickpocketed them five times over the course of two games, but they still haven’t seen what she’s truly capable of. On two separate occasions this year, Smith has gotten away with six steals, both times against Boise State. She’s a hybrid two-way player with enough athleticism to hang with anybody and enough size and toughness to cause problems against an undersized Utah State team.
Smith is also one of the Mountain West’s most threatening bucket-getters. Utah State isn’t the only team she has proven that to, but she certainly did so when she dropped 14 and 29 points on the Aggies this year. In the second game, she notched a double-double with 29 points and 10 rebounds, adding four assists, two steals and a block for good measure. The senior is in her third year as a reliable starter and is averaging 15.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, two assists and 2.5 steals per game.
Jayda McNabb: McNabb, Air Force’s former freshman phenom, made a name for herself by earning a spot on the conference’s All-Freshman team last year. Continuing her impressive performance into her sophomore campaign, McNabb is the team’s leader in rebounds and blocks.
The 5-10 sophomore is averaging 8.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game. Utah State has felt her presence in her pair of 12-point games against the Aggies. In the first, she added three rebounds to go with her dozen points.