Sunday, March 1
Las Vegas, NV
5:30 PM MT
Air Force Academy
10-20,7-11Mountain West
60
vs
48
Colorado State
12-18,6-12Mountain West
1
2
3
4
F
Colorado St.
8
7
20
13
48
Air Force
21
10
16
13
60
Photo by: Justin Tafoya/NCAA Photos
Air Force Advances to MW Quarterfinals after 60-48 Win Over Colorado State
3/1/2020 9:59:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Air Force women’s basketball will take on second-seeded Boise State in the quarterfinals tomorrow at 6 p.m. PT
LAS VEGAS - Air Force led Colorado State from wire to wire to win the first round of the Mountain West Tournament, 60-48, Sunday evening in the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of UNLV. The Falcons improve to 10-20 overall, marking head coach Chris Gobrecht's first 10-win season with Air Force since taking the helm in the 2015-16 season.
HIGHLIGHTS AND TAKEAWAYS
Colorado State finalized their 2019-2020 campaign at 12-18 with a 6-12 mark in the league for a 10h place finish. Mekenzie Ellis led CSU against Air Force, scoring 19 points with five rebounds. She was perfect from the free throw line (5-5). Colorado State's best quarter was the third where they outscored the Falcons, 20-16, and had their best scoring run (8-0).
UP NEXT
The Falcons take on No. 2 seed Boise state in the Quarterfinals Game Six at 6 p.m. PT. Boise State bested Air Force in both meetings this season. Boise State will be coming in on fresh legs having not played a Thursday game coupled with a first-round bye.
IF THEY WIN
The winner of (7) Air Force and (2) Boise State will take on the winner of (3) Wyoming and (11) Utah State, in semi-finals action on Tuesday (Mar. 3) at 8:30 p.m. PT.
AIR FORCE IN THE MW TOURNAMENT
THE SERIES WITH BOISE STATE
GONE STREAKING
Air Force is on a three-game winning streak for the first time since the 2017-18 season. Prior to that, Air Force's longest streak was three games (twice) in the 2005-06 season.
A LOOK AT BOISE STATE
Boise State has won a total of four Mountain West Tournament titles (2015, 2017-19), and owns an all-time record of 13-4 at the event.
After going 1-3 at the event from 2012-14, the Broncos have won 12 of their last 13 tournament games, with the lone loss since 2015 a quarterfinal defeat at the hands of host UNLV in 2016.
THE BRONCOS VS. THE MW IN MARCH
Mountain West foes have not fared well against the Broncos in the month of March over the past few years, as Boise State has won 19 of the past 20 meetings against conference opponents during the month.
Twelve of those wins have come over the 3-0 Mountain West Tournament runs in 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2019.
STARTERS LAST GAME (GP-GS)
#1, Briana Autrey-Thompson, 9.3 PPG, 4.2 APG (20-20)
#13, Emily Conroe, 8.3 PPG, 7.7 RPG (30-30)
#23, Riley Snyder, 14.2 PPG, 3.8 RPG (30-26)
#32, Kaelin Immel, 15.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG (30-30)
#33, Nikki McDonald, 2.5 PPG, 3.0 RPG (30-11)
NEW HEIGHTS
Chris Gobrecht's Falcons continue to set new standards for the program, winning a program-best seven conference games since joining Division I basketball in the 1996-97 season. For the first time ever, Air Force knocked off a peaked Fresno State team. Two more program-firsts came as wins against Nevada and New Mexico in their home gyms. The Falcons' seventh place finish in conference is the best league finish to date.
Gobrecht's teams have won 16 Mountain West games over the past three seasons. That matches the 16 wins that had been earned over the previous 12 years. The four wins in the past six games would have matched the best conference win total for any season since the program moved to Division I in 1996-97.
The Falcons' 10th win marks the most by any of Gobrecht's teams since she took the helm in 2015-16.
PUTTING IN THE TIME
Co-team captains Kaelin Immel and Emily Conroe have started every game this season. Immel has 88 career starts in 90 career appearances, starting in every game played during her freshman and junior seasons and only missing one game and two starts due to injury in her sophomore season. Conroe has played in 91 straight games, that's every game Air Force has had scheduled since she arrived in the 2017-18 campaign.
CLIMBING THE ALL-TIME LADDER
Immel became the 16th all-time Falcon to achieve 1,000 career points at Air Force. Immel, who now has 1,306 career points, is the seventh all-time leading scorer in program history and second-leading scorer in the Division I era. The next rung up on the all-time ladder is Amanda Williams (1984-88) with 1,314 career points. Raimee Beck (2007-11) is top career scorer in the Division I era with 1,386 points.
In terms of single-season points, Kaelin Immel has racked up 458 this year, the second-most in the Di-vision I era, second only to her own record set during her freshman campaign (464, 2017-18).
Junior teammate Emily Conroe is following Immel's lead in the all-time points pursuit with 913 career points, a mark that ranks her 10th in the Div. I era, recently surpassing Elycia Hall (1995-99) who had 854 career points.
Riley Snyder is trending upwards on the career points ladder with 716 to date, a mark that ranks her 17th in the Division I era. Her 427 points this season is the third most single-season points in the Division I era, behind two of Immel's single-season marks [(2017-18, 464, 1st) (2019-20, 445 pts, 2nd)].
Emily Conroe picked up her 500th career rebound at San Diego State (Feb. 8). She now has 571 career rebounds, 402 are defensive, and 169 are offensive. Conroe is the sixth Falcon in Div. I history to achieve the feat. She is currently tied for fourth in the Div. I career-rebounding record book with former teammate, Cortney Porter, who snagged 571 from 2015-18.
HIGHLIGHTS AND TAKEAWAYS
- The Falcons had four scorers in the double-figures led by Riley Snyder and Briana Autrey-Thompson with 15 points apiece
- Emily Conroe registered her sixth double-double of the season with 10 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. She also picked off a game-high four steals
- Kaelin Immel dropped 13 points, dished three assists, snagged six rebounds and blocked two shots
- Autrey-Thompson dished out a game-high four assists, she averages 4.2 apg this season. Snyder also recorded a pair of assists
- Air Force out-rebounded Colorado State, 43-21, led by Conroe's 11. Haley Jones, Nikki McDonald and Immel snagged six boards each
- Air Force tripled-up CSU in offensive rebounds, collecting 18 to the Rams' six, and converted 18 second-chance points
- Cierra Winters led the Falcons off the bench with five points and three rebounds
- Air Force's largest lead was by 19 points in 3:17 remaining in the second quarter following a 9-0 scoring run
- The Falcons had their best shooting in the first quarter, knocking down 45-percent from the floor (8-18) and 80-percent from deep (4-5)
- Air Force is 6-4 in their last 10 games
Colorado State finalized their 2019-2020 campaign at 12-18 with a 6-12 mark in the league for a 10h place finish. Mekenzie Ellis led CSU against Air Force, scoring 19 points with five rebounds. She was perfect from the free throw line (5-5). Colorado State's best quarter was the third where they outscored the Falcons, 20-16, and had their best scoring run (8-0).
UP NEXT
The Falcons take on No. 2 seed Boise state in the Quarterfinals Game Six at 6 p.m. PT. Boise State bested Air Force in both meetings this season. Boise State will be coming in on fresh legs having not played a Thursday game coupled with a first-round bye.
IF THEY WIN
The winner of (7) Air Force and (2) Boise State will take on the winner of (3) Wyoming and (11) Utah State, in semi-finals action on Tuesday (Mar. 3) at 8:30 p.m. PT.
AIR FORCE IN THE MW TOURNAMENT
- This year's quarterfinals appearance marks Air Force's second visit since joining the Mountain West in the 1999-2000 season
- Both of the Falcons' visits to the quarterfinals came under the guidance of coach Gobrecht
- The last time Air Force advanced to the quarterfinals, they met with Boise State and fell to the would-be tournament champs, 60-46.
- The Falcons are 2-4 in tournament play since Gobrecht took the reins in 2015-16
- Immel and Conroe were freshmen and Huffman and Pierce were sophomores when the Falcons won their first-round contest against Utah State in 2017-18 tournament (68-54)
THE SERIES WITH BOISE STATE
- Boise State leads Air Force in the all-time series, 19-1.
- The Broncos won the first meeting this season, 70-61, in Boise, and the last meeting, 74-69, at USAFA
- 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)
- Boise State is on a 14-game win-streak against Air Force dating back to January of 2014
- Coach Gobrecht is 7-11 in her career against the Broncos
GONE STREAKING
Air Force is on a three-game winning streak for the first time since the 2017-18 season. Prior to that, Air Force's longest streak was three games (twice) in the 2005-06 season.
A LOOK AT BOISE STATE
Boise State has won a total of four Mountain West Tournament titles (2015, 2017-19), and owns an all-time record of 13-4 at the event.
After going 1-3 at the event from 2012-14, the Broncos have won 12 of their last 13 tournament games, with the lone loss since 2015 a quarterfinal defeat at the hands of host UNLV in 2016.
THE BRONCOS VS. THE MW IN MARCH
Mountain West foes have not fared well against the Broncos in the month of March over the past few years, as Boise State has won 19 of the past 20 meetings against conference opponents during the month.
Twelve of those wins have come over the 3-0 Mountain West Tournament runs in 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2019.
STARTERS LAST GAME (GP-GS)
#1, Briana Autrey-Thompson, 9.3 PPG, 4.2 APG (20-20)
#13, Emily Conroe, 8.3 PPG, 7.7 RPG (30-30)
#23, Riley Snyder, 14.2 PPG, 3.8 RPG (30-26)
#32, Kaelin Immel, 15.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG (30-30)
#33, Nikki McDonald, 2.5 PPG, 3.0 RPG (30-11)
NEW HEIGHTS
Chris Gobrecht's Falcons continue to set new standards for the program, winning a program-best seven conference games since joining Division I basketball in the 1996-97 season. For the first time ever, Air Force knocked off a peaked Fresno State team. Two more program-firsts came as wins against Nevada and New Mexico in their home gyms. The Falcons' seventh place finish in conference is the best league finish to date.
Gobrecht's teams have won 16 Mountain West games over the past three seasons. That matches the 16 wins that had been earned over the previous 12 years. The four wins in the past six games would have matched the best conference win total for any season since the program moved to Division I in 1996-97.
The Falcons' 10th win marks the most by any of Gobrecht's teams since she took the helm in 2015-16.
PUTTING IN THE TIME
Co-team captains Kaelin Immel and Emily Conroe have started every game this season. Immel has 88 career starts in 90 career appearances, starting in every game played during her freshman and junior seasons and only missing one game and two starts due to injury in her sophomore season. Conroe has played in 91 straight games, that's every game Air Force has had scheduled since she arrived in the 2017-18 campaign.
CLIMBING THE ALL-TIME LADDER
Immel became the 16th all-time Falcon to achieve 1,000 career points at Air Force. Immel, who now has 1,306 career points, is the seventh all-time leading scorer in program history and second-leading scorer in the Division I era. The next rung up on the all-time ladder is Amanda Williams (1984-88) with 1,314 career points. Raimee Beck (2007-11) is top career scorer in the Division I era with 1,386 points.
In terms of single-season points, Kaelin Immel has racked up 458 this year, the second-most in the Di-vision I era, second only to her own record set during her freshman campaign (464, 2017-18).
Junior teammate Emily Conroe is following Immel's lead in the all-time points pursuit with 913 career points, a mark that ranks her 10th in the Div. I era, recently surpassing Elycia Hall (1995-99) who had 854 career points.
Riley Snyder is trending upwards on the career points ladder with 716 to date, a mark that ranks her 17th in the Division I era. Her 427 points this season is the third most single-season points in the Division I era, behind two of Immel's single-season marks [(2017-18, 464, 1st) (2019-20, 445 pts, 2nd)].
Emily Conroe picked up her 500th career rebound at San Diego State (Feb. 8). She now has 571 career rebounds, 402 are defensive, and 169 are offensive. Conroe is the sixth Falcon in Div. I history to achieve the feat. She is currently tied for fourth in the Div. I career-rebounding record book with former teammate, Cortney Porter, who snagged 571 from 2015-18.
Team Stats
CSU
USAFA
FG%
.349
.369
3FG%
.167
.278
FT%
.842
.583
RB
31
43
TO
15
8
STL
4
9
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
15
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
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/ Women's Basketball
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