MOUNTAIN WEST WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

March 10, 2026

Stacy McIntyre

Miahnie Perry

Emily Adams

Alexis Cortez

Thomas & Mack Center

Air Force Falcons

Postgame Press Conference

Colorado State 56, Air Force 42

THE MODERATOR: We have student-athletes Alexis Cortez, Emily Adams, and Milahnie Perry. Coach, we'll get your thoughts on tonight's game go something.

STACY McINTYRE: It was a tough night to have a tough shooting night. You know, that said, we're very just proud of what this team did, the accomplishments we made down the stretch, especially in this Mountain West Conference Tournament.

When you come to a tournament, you just take one game at a time. For this team to knock off a Wyoming, a No. 1 seed in San Diego State, a Boise State, you know, to get to the conference championship game, clearly you're not satisfied with the outcome, but, you know, for what this team did. We've known all season that these individuals and the team that showed up in this conference tournament has been there for not just the buy-in, but the lock-in that we had.

And then the outstanding play from these individuals with Milahnie Perry. She's our Mountain West Conference Player of the Year for sure. What she did in this tournament and throughout the year, she's just proven that she's deserving of every accolade that she's received.

Emily Adams, I can't be more proud of her and just that senior leadership from the both of these young ladies.

Alexis Cortez being a junior and leading her team and stepping up when it was needed, you know, not just making big shots with what Lex did, but her leadership on the floor. Not just -- you know, we talk about just the result of this tournament and how well they've performed, but just how they have represented this program, themselves, and this United States Air Force Academy.

THE MODERATOR: Questions for the student-athletes.

Q. Milahnie, Coach mentioned the shooting in the second half. After having three and a half games where things were going so right, what was going through -- could you feel the legs giving? What changed there down the stretch?

MILAHNIE PERRY: I think four games in four days is definitely something that's difficult, and it comes to a point where sometimes you do feel that fatigue and it does get to you.

But the shots just weren't falling. It just wasn't going our way. It did have a point to where, you know, the four games in four days did have a factor in it, but ultimately, the shots weren't falling for us.

Q. Staying with you. To be tournament MVP, I assume you've heard that already. You were tournament MVP on a team that didn't win it. That's a very rare accomplishment. Obviously you just heard it, but what does that mean to you?

MILAHNIE PERRY: I'm very thankful for it, and I'm very blessed. I thank my teammates for helping me get to that and my coaches for all their support as well.

Even though we didn't win, I still feel like we are the best team in the conference. Nothing is ever going to change my mind about that.

Respectfully, a lot of teams or a lot of players in this conference can't do what we do each and every day. We work very hard, not just athletically, but in the classroom and militarily.

I'm just very proud of us in how much work we put in to make history like this. It's amazing.

Q. Emily and/or Alexis, what was the energy like in the second half? What was it like to -- obviously four games in four days is unprecedented for you guys. I don't think you did that in November or any other time. What did that feel like as you were trying to make plays down the stretch?

EMILY ADAMS: I think our energy level was there mentally. We all wanted it. We were putting as much effort as we could.

Honestly, yeah, those four games in four days really got to our legs, as it probably got to theirs. Then our shots weren't falling, so it was just hit after hit that we had to deal with.

Q. Especially for you, Alexis, because you are coming back, what can these four days mean going forward for the program?

ALEXIS CORTEZ: I think these four days just show, like, what we are capable of no matter what happens throughout the season. We went through a lot of adversity as a team. Each and every player has kind of gone through something and came out the other end stronger.

I think this just proves how capable and how special we are no matter what circumstances we have. We are so strong and just amazing, like Lahnie said.

Q. Emily, you were also All-Tournament Team. Congratulations on that. Kind of the culmination of an excellent month and a half or two for you, I don't know if this is going to be the end, but if it is, what was this finish like for you?

EMILY ADAMS: I just have to thank God first, because I feel like this is an opportunity. This last year I was given the opportunity, and my mom always says that God helps those who help themselves.

I feel like I was given the opportunity, and I've been working super hard the last couple of years, and my teammates have helped me a ton to get to this point. So I have to thank them and God.

Q. Was there something that Marta Leimane did tonight that kind of made it tough for you to get to your spots, get your shots?

MILAHNIE PERRY: No. I think it was just more on me. My shots weren't falling. I didn't really get in my rhythm. I did feel a little bit of that fatigue with those four games, but I wouldn't say it was necessarily her.

Q. Outstanding run. Congratulations. This question is for Milahnie. The win over SDSU was one of the biggest moments in program history. How did that game prepare you and the team for my challenges that you guys faced the next two nights after that?

MILAHNIE PERRY: It really just established the confidence. We knew what we were capable of, and just being able to actually do it and just show everyone, that really helped us with our confidence and knowing what we had to do going into the next few games to prepare us.

Q. For you and for Emily, what have the past four years meant for you putting on the Air Force uniform on and off the court?

EMILY ADAMS: It's meant the world for many reasons. Being with these girls, being with such high-quality people on a team is something that you can't get at every program.

You don't see what we do behind the scenes, like Milahnie said. We're day in, day out military, academics, and you can't find anyone else that puts on a basketball jersey and plays D1 basketball, but also puts forth that work in the classroom and out in the forest doing military stuff.

MILAHNIE PERRY: I would just say that the relationships that we've made are something very unique and special. I feel like you don't really get the chance to make those relationships maybe at another school, because especially with the fact that we don't get transfers and stuff.

But it's really been a blessing. It's challenging, but not a lot of people get this opportunity, and it's amazing.

THE MODERATOR: We'll dismiss the student-athletes. Questions for Coach.

Q. Did you feel like you got everything you could have possibly asked from them out of these four days?

STACY McINTYRE: I don't know how anybody could think that we didn't. I mean, just -- I mentioned that earlier, just that lock-in, the buy-in, and just the focus that we had coming into this tournament.

One of the things I shared in the locker room was there aren't many teams, you know, that, one, finish -- you know, that make it to the conference championship, but a locker room that has an All-Conference player, a player like Milahnie Perry that can be tournament MVP on a team that fell short, a Defensive Player of the Year and a freshman on an all-freshman team. There's a lot to be said for that.

We came into this tournament and had thought that our record could have been better than it was, but I think we proved just over the course of three days that you beat a Wyoming, a Boise State, and a San Diego State.

All of those team we lost to twice with the exception of Wyoming.

I think we squeezed every drop out of just everybody on this roster. Our coaching staff was phenomenal just with their commitment and these young ladies' commitment to excellence.

Q. Like I asked them, spinning this forward, again, I don't know what might come in the next couple of weeks, but just that sense of belief and seeing it come together, how do you think that in a best-case scenario might look next season and season beyond on the recruiting trail, everything else?

STACY McINTYRE: Well, I mean, it matters. You have not just all the support and so many people that came to support this team and this program today, but, you know, when you asked what -- I think what you are asking is what impact does it have moving forward, whether you continue to play, but also just overall the affect that it has on the program and where this program will continue to go.

Because, I mean, for a long time I've been zeroed in and locked in for many years on recruiting. When you have a team that is as successful as this team has been in this conference tournament, it matters. Our goal is to replace the great seniors in your program, but at the same time just feel the impact that they've made and the affect it can have on recruiting and the affect that their leadership has on those juniors moving forward.

Q. Now, when we were watching this game tonight, the noise from the Air Force fans was very evident. It felt like we were back in the 719, honestly. How would you describe the impact that that fan presence had on the game tonight?

STACY McINTYRE: Well, I think everybody just felt that energy. We know that wasn't our perfect game.

But the overwhelming support says a lot about this team and this program.

Whether it's just our friends, our family, I think just the military community from Las Vegas, I mean, there were so many people that supported us and traveled far to see this today.

You know, again, while it wasn't the outcome we had hoped to have, we're very grateful just for all the support that the people that were in the stands for us today.

Q. Also looking at the hustle stats for tonight, you outrebounded CSU on the offensive boards 14-3. That hustle has been present throughout the whole tournament. How are you hoping to carry that over into next year with the seniors graduating out?

STACY McINTYRE: Well, I always say any time you have a Jayda McNabb that will do a phenomenal job on the offensive boards, you know you're always going to have more possessions. You know, as she continues to mature, not just on the defensive end of the floor, but the offensive end of the floor as well.

That's part of just who we've been, and our identity is that hard work defensively. When you know you can get a 14 offensive rebounds and looking towards converting those in the second-chance points.

Q. After playing four games in four days, it seemed like you guys were just missing some shots that were falling in the previous three days, especially in the second half. Do you think the team just ran out of gas towards the end?

STACY McINTYRE: I think -- you know one of the things I think that is underestimated is how hard we play. I mean, you get that momentum when shots go down. Then you go down and defend. It's a game of runs. When shots aren't falling, it makes it that much more challenging to go down and get stops defensively. While we held a team that is capable of scoring in the high 70s or 80s in the 50s, you underestimate how difficult it is when you don't have that momentum that you get when you're knocking down shots. That's all year long.

When we're talking about Milahnie and what she's done and putting up the numbers that she's had, she's done it on both ends. Emily Adams, doing it on both ends. We're not the team that sits back in those packed line defenses and zones. Making those -- having the difficulty putting those shots down today, yes, we can say it was fatigue, but just the pep in our step today, and shots didn't go our way.

Q. Despite the final result, you beat the top speed E seed and made the title game. It's a huge accomplishment for your program, and what are you most proud of throughout this entire week.

STACY McINTYRE: All year -- well, actually this week the question is what's different? You know, what's different this week? This team has wanted to win all year. The difference this week is just that they didn't want to lose. You know, that is something that you hope that carries you through a season, but I think it's -- we're very proud that we had that attitude and that mentality in this conference tournament.