Wednesday, January 23
Boise, ID
7:00 p.m. MT
Air Force Academy
at
Boise State
Photo by: Darcie Ibidapo
Women's Hoops Takes on MWC Front-Runner, Boise State, Wednesday
1/22/2019 1:07:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Air Force women's basketball will tip off against the Broncos, 7 p.m. MT, Jan. 23, in Taco Bell Arena
AIR FORCE at BOISE STATE: The Falcons travel to Boise, Idaho, for a 7 p.m. MT tip-off, Wednesday, Jan. 23, in Taco Bell Arena. The Broncos (13-2, 4-0 MWWC) currently sit atop the MWC rankings. The game will mark the 17th meeting between the teams.
THE SERIES: Boise State leads Air Force in the all-time series, 15-1.
-The series began in 2003
-Air Force's first and only win was at the Academy in 2013 (2/20/13 H W, 77-72)
-The Broncos won the last meeting in the second round of the MWC tournament (3/3/17 A L, 48-72)
-Boise State is on a seven-game win-streak dating back to January of 2014
UP NEXT: The Falcons return to the Academy to play host to San Jose State, 2 p.m., Sat., Jan. 26, in Clune Arena. Air Force split last season's series with the Spartans, 1-1.
LAST TIME OUT: Air Force rallied to a second-half comeback to beat Nevada (5-12, 1-5 MWC), 79-74, in overtime, Saturday afternoon, in Clune Arena.
Freshman forward Riley Snyder led the Falcons with a career-high 22 points. The Fruita, Colorado, native shot .714 from the field and collected six rebounds. The game marked her fourth double-figure scoring performance in the last five games.
Snyder was assisted by three other double-figure scorers in Emily Conroe (15), Briana Autrey (14), and Kaelin Immel (13). Immel lead the team with six assists while Autrey was credited with four. Autrey, Conroe and Immel were all perfect from the free throw line, shooting 6-6, 5-5 and 2-2, respectively. Conroe led the team with two three-pointers.
Junior forward Kassady Huffman led the squad with eight rebounds and three blocks while adding nine points to the final tally.
The Falcons shot well over their average on the night, hitting 29-66 from the field and 5-11 from deep, for shooting marks well over .400. Air Force also shot well from the free throw line, hitting 16-19 (84.2 percent) on the game. The teams were neck-and-neck in rebounds as the Wolf Pack collected 40 rebounds to the Falcons' 39.
A LOOK AT AIR FORCE: The talk of Air Force's offense is a quartet of underclassmen, two sophomores and two freshmen. Leading from the front, co-team captain Kaelin Immel, who averages 11.6 points per game. Immel has posted double-figure scoring marks in her last four-of-five games played, with a 15-point high in league play this season. She leads the team with a .360 three-point shooting percentage. When she isn't scoring she is facilitating action as a role-player; in Air Force's last game, Immel set two career-best marks- six assists and six blocks. She was perfect from the free-throw line (2-2) and played for a season-high 37 minutes.
Sophomore teammate Emily Conroe, who has also scored double-figures in four of her last five games, averages 10.1 points per game overall and 14.0 points per game in MWC action. Conroe's scoring this season is highlighted by a season-high 22-point performance to lead the Falcons to victory over the Colorado State Rams for the first time in 13-games. She averages the third-most rebounds per game (5.1) on the team and has the best free-throw shooting on the squad (.769). Conroe shot a perfect 5-5 from the foul-line in three of the last four contests and is 18-19 in the last five games. She is .833 from the line in MWC play.
The Falcons' fiery freshmen account for three of Air Force's top-five scorers, led by Riley Snyder who averages 10.2 points per game on the season and 13.0 points per game in MWC play. Snyder, who scored a career-high 22 points in the win against Nevada, has posted double-figure scoring marks in four of her last five games. Freshman teammate Briana Autrey averages 9.5 points per game and holds the best field-goal percentage on the team (.411). She dropped 14 points in the win against Nevada and shot a perfect 6-6 from the free-throw line in the same game. Autrey knows how to draw contact down low where she goes on to shoot .707 from the foul-line. The Snyder-Autrey duo are the only two Falcons to have two 20-plus scoring performances this season
Freshman teammate Haley Jones, who averages 6.0 points per game, is the second-leading rebounder on the team, averaging 5.3 boards per game-- she is sixth in the league in offensive rebounds. Jones, who is the only freshman to have started every MWC contest this season, is third in the conference in average steals (2.3) for MWC only game.
THE GOOD
-On Nov. 16, 12 Falcons combined for 85 points to beat Fairleigh Dickinson, 85-37, in what became Air Force's largest margin of victory in the program's Division I era.
-Air Force outscored Army, 71-60, to beat Black Knights at home, Nov. 21. The win marked the Falcons' first against Army since beating them at home in 2007.
-On Jan. 9, Air Force beat CSU, 63-48, snapping a six-game losing streak on the season and a 13-game losing streak to Rams dating back to 2011.
-Air Force snapped a three-game losing streak to Nevada with a 79-74 overtime win, Jan. 19. The game marked the Falcons' first overtime play this season.
-Air Force has the third-best rebounding offense (39.2) and steals per game (10.8) in the conference
-The Falcons lead the conference in average steals (10.7) in MWC only play
THE BAD
-Shooting: In the MWC, Air Force has the third-lowest three-point percentage (.283), the second-lowest field-goal percentage (.352) and the lowest free-throw percentage (.625).
-Turnovers: Air Force turns the ball over twice as many times as assists the make for the lowest assist/turnover ratio in the MWC.
THE NOT SO UGLY
Air Force's current 2-4 record in the MWC is the best six-game conference start in the Div. I era. The last time Air Force was 2-4, or better, in the first-six conference games was in the Colorado Athletic Conference in the 1995-96 season-- the Falcons' last year as a Div. II program.
The Falcons are sitting in seventh place in the MWC standings, ahead of San Diego State, Colorado State, Nevada and San Jose State.
A QUICK LOOK AT BOISE STATE: The Broncos sit atop the MWC with a 5-0 record in league play and an overall record of 14-2. Boise State is on a nine-game winning-streak, dating back to non-conference play in early December. The Broncos are led by Riley Lupfer who averages 12.6 points per game, Joyce Harrel who snags 5.9 rebounds per game, Jayd Christopher who is second in the league with 5.5 assists per game and Marta Hermida who shoots .444 from deep.
THE BRONCOS' LAST GAME: Boise State turned a battle for first-place between the Mountain West's two unbeaten teams into a no-doubter Saturday, running away to a 72-60 victory over Fresno State at the Save Mart Center.
LAST TIME THEY PLAYED: Eighth-seed Air Force women's basketball dropped a 60-46 contest to one-seed Boise State to get eliminated from the 2018 Mountain West Women's Basketball Championship Tournament in the quarterfinal action at The Thomas & Mack Center. Kaelin Immel led the Falcons with 17 points.
Air Force struggled on the offensive end against top-seed Boise State, getting held to 24 percent shooting from the field. Boise State had runs in the second and third quarters to pull away with the win.
The Falcons hung tough early on against the Broncos trailing by one at 11-10 after the first quarter. The Broncos began to pull away in the second quarter, taking a 29-22 lead at halftime. Boise State further extended its lead to 42-28 after the third quarter. The Falcons were unable to get enough offense going late as the Broncos advanced to the semifinal round with the win.
Immel paced the Falcons with 17 points. She was 3 of 14 from the field but a perfect 10 of 10 from the free throw line. Immel went a perfect 18 of 18 from the free throw line in two games at the MW Championships.
THE SERIES: Boise State leads Air Force in the all-time series, 15-1.
-The series began in 2003
-Air Force's first and only win was at the Academy in 2013 (2/20/13 H W, 77-72)
-The Broncos won the last meeting in the second round of the MWC tournament (3/3/17 A L, 48-72)
-Boise State is on a seven-game win-streak dating back to January of 2014
UP NEXT: The Falcons return to the Academy to play host to San Jose State, 2 p.m., Sat., Jan. 26, in Clune Arena. Air Force split last season's series with the Spartans, 1-1.
LAST TIME OUT: Air Force rallied to a second-half comeback to beat Nevada (5-12, 1-5 MWC), 79-74, in overtime, Saturday afternoon, in Clune Arena.
Freshman forward Riley Snyder led the Falcons with a career-high 22 points. The Fruita, Colorado, native shot .714 from the field and collected six rebounds. The game marked her fourth double-figure scoring performance in the last five games.
Snyder was assisted by three other double-figure scorers in Emily Conroe (15), Briana Autrey (14), and Kaelin Immel (13). Immel lead the team with six assists while Autrey was credited with four. Autrey, Conroe and Immel were all perfect from the free throw line, shooting 6-6, 5-5 and 2-2, respectively. Conroe led the team with two three-pointers.
Junior forward Kassady Huffman led the squad with eight rebounds and three blocks while adding nine points to the final tally.
The Falcons shot well over their average on the night, hitting 29-66 from the field and 5-11 from deep, for shooting marks well over .400. Air Force also shot well from the free throw line, hitting 16-19 (84.2 percent) on the game. The teams were neck-and-neck in rebounds as the Wolf Pack collected 40 rebounds to the Falcons' 39.
A LOOK AT AIR FORCE: The talk of Air Force's offense is a quartet of underclassmen, two sophomores and two freshmen. Leading from the front, co-team captain Kaelin Immel, who averages 11.6 points per game. Immel has posted double-figure scoring marks in her last four-of-five games played, with a 15-point high in league play this season. She leads the team with a .360 three-point shooting percentage. When she isn't scoring she is facilitating action as a role-player; in Air Force's last game, Immel set two career-best marks- six assists and six blocks. She was perfect from the free-throw line (2-2) and played for a season-high 37 minutes.
Sophomore teammate Emily Conroe, who has also scored double-figures in four of her last five games, averages 10.1 points per game overall and 14.0 points per game in MWC action. Conroe's scoring this season is highlighted by a season-high 22-point performance to lead the Falcons to victory over the Colorado State Rams for the first time in 13-games. She averages the third-most rebounds per game (5.1) on the team and has the best free-throw shooting on the squad (.769). Conroe shot a perfect 5-5 from the foul-line in three of the last four contests and is 18-19 in the last five games. She is .833 from the line in MWC play.
The Falcons' fiery freshmen account for three of Air Force's top-five scorers, led by Riley Snyder who averages 10.2 points per game on the season and 13.0 points per game in MWC play. Snyder, who scored a career-high 22 points in the win against Nevada, has posted double-figure scoring marks in four of her last five games. Freshman teammate Briana Autrey averages 9.5 points per game and holds the best field-goal percentage on the team (.411). She dropped 14 points in the win against Nevada and shot a perfect 6-6 from the free-throw line in the same game. Autrey knows how to draw contact down low where she goes on to shoot .707 from the foul-line. The Snyder-Autrey duo are the only two Falcons to have two 20-plus scoring performances this season
Freshman teammate Haley Jones, who averages 6.0 points per game, is the second-leading rebounder on the team, averaging 5.3 boards per game-- she is sixth in the league in offensive rebounds. Jones, who is the only freshman to have started every MWC contest this season, is third in the conference in average steals (2.3) for MWC only game.
THE GOOD
-On Nov. 16, 12 Falcons combined for 85 points to beat Fairleigh Dickinson, 85-37, in what became Air Force's largest margin of victory in the program's Division I era.
-Air Force outscored Army, 71-60, to beat Black Knights at home, Nov. 21. The win marked the Falcons' first against Army since beating them at home in 2007.
-On Jan. 9, Air Force beat CSU, 63-48, snapping a six-game losing streak on the season and a 13-game losing streak to Rams dating back to 2011.
-Air Force snapped a three-game losing streak to Nevada with a 79-74 overtime win, Jan. 19. The game marked the Falcons' first overtime play this season.
-Air Force has the third-best rebounding offense (39.2) and steals per game (10.8) in the conference
-The Falcons lead the conference in average steals (10.7) in MWC only play
THE BAD
-Shooting: In the MWC, Air Force has the third-lowest three-point percentage (.283), the second-lowest field-goal percentage (.352) and the lowest free-throw percentage (.625).
-Turnovers: Air Force turns the ball over twice as many times as assists the make for the lowest assist/turnover ratio in the MWC.
THE NOT SO UGLY
Air Force's current 2-4 record in the MWC is the best six-game conference start in the Div. I era. The last time Air Force was 2-4, or better, in the first-six conference games was in the Colorado Athletic Conference in the 1995-96 season-- the Falcons' last year as a Div. II program.
The Falcons are sitting in seventh place in the MWC standings, ahead of San Diego State, Colorado State, Nevada and San Jose State.
A QUICK LOOK AT BOISE STATE: The Broncos sit atop the MWC with a 5-0 record in league play and an overall record of 14-2. Boise State is on a nine-game winning-streak, dating back to non-conference play in early December. The Broncos are led by Riley Lupfer who averages 12.6 points per game, Joyce Harrel who snags 5.9 rebounds per game, Jayd Christopher who is second in the league with 5.5 assists per game and Marta Hermida who shoots .444 from deep.
THE BRONCOS' LAST GAME: Boise State turned a battle for first-place between the Mountain West's two unbeaten teams into a no-doubter Saturday, running away to a 72-60 victory over Fresno State at the Save Mart Center.
LAST TIME THEY PLAYED: Eighth-seed Air Force women's basketball dropped a 60-46 contest to one-seed Boise State to get eliminated from the 2018 Mountain West Women's Basketball Championship Tournament in the quarterfinal action at The Thomas & Mack Center. Kaelin Immel led the Falcons with 17 points.
Air Force struggled on the offensive end against top-seed Boise State, getting held to 24 percent shooting from the field. Boise State had runs in the second and third quarters to pull away with the win.
The Falcons hung tough early on against the Broncos trailing by one at 11-10 after the first quarter. The Broncos began to pull away in the second quarter, taking a 29-22 lead at halftime. Boise State further extended its lead to 42-28 after the third quarter. The Falcons were unable to get enough offense going late as the Broncos advanced to the semifinal round with the win.
Immel paced the Falcons with 17 points. She was 3 of 14 from the field but a perfect 10 of 10 from the free throw line. Immel went a perfect 18 of 18 from the free throw line in two games at the MW Championships.
Players Mentioned
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