Falcon Women’s Hoops Soars Past Western Colorado in Season Opener, 72-54

USAF Academy, Colo. - Sophomore guard Kaelin Immel scored 25 points to lead Air Force to a 72-54 victory over Western Colorado in the season opener, Tuesday evening, in Clune Arena. The victory marks the Falcons' first season-opening win since beating Lipscomb in the 2011-12 opener.

Immel was the first to light the scoreboard with a three-point bucket off the tip-off-- after that, the Falcons never looked back, holding the advantage in points for the entirety of the game, including a 19-point scoring margin on four occasions. Immel's 25 points tied her second-best career mark which was registered in last season's win over Mountain West foe San Jose State. The 2018 MW Freshman of the Year, who led Air Force in scoring last season, notched her seventh career 20+ point game in the win.

The Falcon freshmen, led by starting forward Riley Snyder, took the court determined to make a contribution to the program. Snyder, a native of Fruita, Colorado, notched 11 points, including two three-pointers from the wing. Freshman teammate Brianna Autrey made her presence known, using her lightning fast speed and ball handling ability to tally seven points in her collegiate debut. Haley Jones scored three points in her game as a collegiate athlete while freshmen teammates Audrey Gadison and Coco Kuchins registered minutes.

Junior forward Kassady Huffman also proved to be a force for the Falcons. The 6-2 Colorado Springs, Colorado native, who missed all of last season, picked up right where she left off, scoring 10 points while leading the squad with five blocks. Huffman also tallied two steals; two behind Air Force steals frontrunner, Emily Conroe. Conroe's four steals and defensive effort help keep a hungry Mountaineer team at bay. Conroe, who was second on the team in scoring last season, took the wind out of Western Colorado's sail with a critical three-pointer at 4:16 remaining in the fourth period to end the Mountaineers' six-point comeback run.

Air Force's rebounding proved to be a major difference in the game as the Falcons scored 16 points off second-chance shots while Western Colorado only tallied seven.

The Falcons return to action as they host George Mason on Friday, Nov. 9. Tip-off, at Clune Arena, is 12:00 p.m. MT.

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