Women's Hoops Brings in MW Front Runner CSU

GAME 21 & 22: AIR FORCE (5-13, 2-10 MW) vs. COLORADO STATE (14-2, 10-2 MW)
1 p.m. MT, Saturday, Feb. 27 // 2:30 p.m. MT, Monday, Mar. 1 // Clune Arena, USAFA

Air Force welcomes Mountain West front-runners, Colorado State, to Clune Arena for a two-game league series, February 27 and March 1. CSU sits atop the league with a 14-2 overall record and a 10-2 record in the conference; however, the Rams have been out of action since February 7, due to postponements in the series against New Mexico and Nevada. Tip times are slated for 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., respectively.

THE SERIES AGAINST COLORADO STATE
The Falcons and Rams will be tipping off for the 65th time in program history. Air Force has won its last two games against the Rams, eliminating CSU from the Mountain West Tournament in the first round (60-48, March 1), and downing the Rams in the 2020 season finale, 49-44, at USAFA (Feb. 27).

-Air Force is 14-50 against Colorado State in the all-time series
-The series began in 1979, AF won the first meeting, 94-83, in overtime
-Last time they played at USAFA, the Falcons won, 49-44
-The Falcons are 8-23 when playing the Rams at USAFA
-Air Force is on a two-game win streak against the Rams
-The Falcons have won three of the last five meetings

LAST TIME THEY MET
Air Force led Colorado State from wire to wire to win the first round of the Mountain West Tournament, 60-48, Sunday evening (March 1) in the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of UNLV. The win marked head coach Chris Gobrecht's first 10-win season with Air Force since taking the helm in the 2015-16 season.

-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
-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)

UP NEXT
Air Force welcomes the Nevada Wolf Pack to Clune Arena for a two-game Mountain West series and Air Force's regular season finale, March 3 and 4. The second game of the rescheduled Mountain West series against Nevada, originally rescheduled for Friday, March 5, has now been moved up to Thursday, March 4. Tip times are slated for 2:30 p.m. and 6 p.m., respectively.

LAST TIME OUT
Air Force rose to the occasion in a Wednesday evening nail biter against New Mexico (10-3, 7-3 MW), upending the Mountain West's second-place team, 75-73, on Senior Night. The Falcons have now knocked off two of the league's top teams in Clune Arena this season. The win marked the one-year anniversary of Air Force's first win at New Mexico's "The Pit".

Air Force's senior class, Kaelin Immel, Emily Conroe, and Kassady Huffman, who were honored for Senior Night prior to the game, led with intensity and resolve in helping Air Force to a big win at home. Immel finished with 14 points, three assists and three rebounds. Conroe, the leading rebounder on the squad, added eight points to the final tally, with six rebounds, four assists and three steals. Huffman, who is two blocks shy of the single-season blocks record (43), denied two shots, and snagged four rebounds.

Air Force's Riley Snyder led the Falcon offensive with her second 20-point performance in a row, scoring 20 points on 50-percent shooting from the field. Snyder drained five three-pointers on the night, coming up one three-ball short of a career-best. She rounded out her stat line with four rebounds and four assists. With her second bucket of the game, Snyder crested 1,000 career points, becoming the 18thFalcon in program history to achieve the feat.

Air Force freshmen Dasha Macmillan and Kayla Pilson were critical to the Falcons' success, combining for 10 points and eight rebounds. Macmillan, who shot 50-percent from the floor (3-6) and 100-percent from beyond the arc (2-2), added eight points to the final tally while Pilson's five rebounds helped Air Force maintain key possessions.

Junior point-guard Briana Autrey-Thompson put up 11 points on 40-percent shooting from the floor. She finished with five assists, three rebounds and a steal. Sophomore teammate Kamri Heath had a critical four-point scoring run to help Air Force maintain momentum.

The Falcons had their best night of shooting in league play, knocking down 48-percent from the field and 44-percent from deep. They held the lead for 30 minutes of the game.

4,540
The combined number of career points among Air Force's starters. The Falcons' three 1,000-point scorers Immel (1,478), Conroe (1,036) and Snyder (1,016) along with Autrey-Thompson (699) and Huffman (311).

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Briana Autrey-Thompson

Emily Conroe

Kamri Heath

Kassady Huffman

Kaelin Immel

Haley Jones

Dasha Macmillan

Nikki McDonald

Kayla Pilson

Riley Snyder

Cierra Winters

Footer