Air Force Drops 80-66 Contest to New Mexico

USAF ACADEMY – Air Force came up short against New Mexico, dropping an 80-66 contest, Tuesday evening in Clune Arena.  The Falcons drop to 5-14 with a 2-11 mark in the Mountain West while the Lobos improved to 10-2 with a 7-2 record in the league.

The Falcons were led by the program's all-time points leader, Kaelin Immel, who finished the night with 28 points, marking a season-high scoring performance for the senior out of Beaverton, Oregon. Immel rounded out her stat line with three rebounds and three assists while shooting 57-percent from the floor.

Junior forward Riley Snyder had a night as well, scoring 20-points by way of four three-pointers and four buckets. She shot 50-percent from deep (4-8) and 40-percent from the floor.  It was Snyder's first 20-point game of the new year.

The Falcons were led in rebounding by Emily Conroe and Kassady Huffman who snagged seven boards each. They both finished with a bucket apiece. Junior point guard Briana Autrey-Thompson added eight points and five assists to the Falcons' final tally.  She picked off a team-high two of Air Force's four steals.

New Mexico was led by four scorers in the double-figures, highlighted by LaTascya Duff's 31 points and 50-percent shooting from beyond the arc (6-12).  Antonia Anderson was cleaning up the boards, finishing with a 14-point and 10-rebound double-double.

Air Force raced out to an early 9-0 lead behind three buckets and a three-ball, but New Mexico was quick to chase the Falcons down, knotting the score by the media timeout. After scoring back-and-forth, Air Force held the 20-16 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Falcons continued to push the pace behind Immel in the second quarter, building as much as a 10-point lead by the media timeout on 54-percent shooting from the floor. In the final minute of the half, New Mexico tracked Air Force down to just a five-point lead, but in the final seconds, Snyder took the wind from their sails with a buzzer-beater three-pointer to lift Air Force to a 42-34 lead heading into the locker room. Immel scored 20 first-half points on 82-percent shooting from the field, tallying a season-high scoring figure in the first 20 minutes.

New Mexico fired off the blocks in second half, racing out to a 6-0 scoring run to force a Falcon timeout. Out of the break, Air Force regained control behind another Snyder three-pointer, followed by the team's entering a shootout for the lead. At the media timeout (3:30), the Lobos held a one-point advantage, 54-53. At the end of the third quarter, New Mexico rallied to a seven-point lead, 62-55.

The Lobos maintained a comfortable cushion through the fourth quarter media timeout, holding a 72-63 lead with 4:58 remaining. The Falcons refused to give up on the fight, battling to as close as a five-point difference, but the Lobos' three-pointers were falling in their favor, staving off an Air Force comeback.  At the final horn, New Mexico led Air Force, 80-66.

The Falcons and Lobos conclude the two-game league series, tomorrow (Feb. 24), at 7:30 p.m. MT, in Clune Arena.  Air Force will celebrate Conroe, Immel and Huffman for senior night.

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Team Stats

Kaelin Immel

Riley Snyder

Autrey Briana

Cierra Winters

Players Mentioned

Briana Autrey-Thompson

Emily Conroe

Kassady Huffman

Kaelin Immel

Riley Snyder

Players Mentioned

Briana Autrey-Thompson

Emily Conroe

Kassady Huffman

Kaelin Immel

Riley Snyder

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