Saturday, January 28
USAFA, CO
1:00 PM MT
Air Force Academy
11-11,6-4Mountain West
67
vs
65
Colorado State
13-8,6-4Mountain West
1
2
3
4
F
Colorado St.
17
7
24
17
65
Air Force
27
12
14
14
67
Early Offensive Surge Propels Women’s Basketball Past Colorado State
1/28/2023 6:20:00 PM | Women's Basketball
POST GAME INTERVIEWS
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – A red-hot start for the Air Force women's basketball team in the opening half on Saturday against Colorado State proved decisive in a 67-65 victory over the Rams in Clune Arena.
Air Force (11-11, 6-4 MW), through the first half of play, managed to stifle one of the nation's most dynamic offenses in CSU, holding the Rams to 35.7 percent from the field and 0-4 from three. Prior to today, the Rams (13-8, 6-4 MW) have averaged .463 shooting, and .393 from three-point range on the season - the fifth-best shooting rate in the nation from beyond the arc.
Four Falcons posted double-digit scoring efforts on Saturday, led for the second-consecutive game by senior Kamri Heath with 15 (7-14 FG, 1 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL); Sophomore Jo Huntimer posted 12 points, with freshman Faith Shelton and sophomore Madison Smith following up 11 each, a new career high for Shelton. Smith, adding a career-high 11 rebounds to her tally, notched the first double-double of her intercollegiate career.
At an early 8-7 Air Force lead behind Smith's first three-pointer of the day and a pair of opening baskets from Heath and freshman Milahnie Perry, Huntimer opened her performance with a quick five points off a transition layup driving along the right baseline, and an open-look three-pointer from the top of the arc to give the Falcons a lead which they ultimately managed to maintain until the fourth quarter. Huntimer capped a season-high eight-point quarter with a second-straight three, shortly followed by another, this time by Shelton, capping a 4-4 team showing from three-point range for the Falcons – the first Air Force quarter of the season to end perfect from outside the arc with more than two attempts.
Down the final 1:44 in the first quarter, Heath outscored CSU as a team 7-2, starting off on a pair of successful jumpers to push a 24-17 Air Force lead with just over a minute to go. With the shot clock off and the Falcons owning the final possession, Heath kept the ball, driving into heavy CSU traffic inside the post, making good on a hook shot as time expired, drawing the shooting foul off of CSU's Sydney Mech. Heath made the resulting and-one free throw, closing the first quarter with a 27-17 Falcon lead.
Air Force started the second quarter much like the first, as senior Nikki McDonald, fighting her way toward the CSU rim, found Smith out on the perimeter who made her second three-pointer of the day, improving Air Force to 5-5 from distance and pushing the Falcons out to a 13-point lead.
From there, the Air Force scoring attack went dark for the next six minutes, but the Falcons managed to hold CSU to two made baskets through that span, before a returning Heath sparked a 9-2 scoring run down the final two and a half minutes which included Huntimer's 3-3 three-point attempt with 50 seconds remaining. With the shot clock off and Air Force owning the final possession, Huntimer missed her first three-point attempt of the day off the front of the rim. Underneath, junior Dasha Macmillan found the rebound and made the tip-in attempt as time expired to push Air Force out to a 39-24 lead heading into the locker room.
Coming out of the half, Colorado State managed to get back to its shooting ways, going 6-9 (.667) from three-point range after opening the half on four-straight successful three-pointers.
Heath opened the second half for Air Force with a pair of jumpers off the high post, improving to 15 on the day and giving Air Force its highest lead of the day at 17, before a 12-2 CSU run had the Rams quickly back within single digits.
At 3:39 with the Falcons up by nine, Smith, driving into the post, kicked it out left to a driving Faith Shelton for a layup, immediately followed on the next possession by a second-chance make for Shelton, rebounding on a missed shot from Smith.
Back-to-back CSU threes inside of the final 39 seconds of the third quarter cut the Falcons' lead back to five. On the final possession, CSU's Kendyll Kinzer took the ball past the midcourt line, shooting a three from nearly seven feet beyond the arc, making the third buzzer-beating score of the game and leaving the Falcons up just 53-48 heading into the final quarter.
A dramatic and eventful fourth quarter was underscored by eight lead changes, as the remainder of Air Force's lead dwindled and fell away behind a CSU 8-2 scoring advantage within the first two minutes to give the Rams their first lead since the opening stages of the game.
Pilson then retook the lead off a pair of made free throws after a shooting foul, and a midcourt steal on CSU's McKenna Hofschild (29 pts.), getting the transition bucket putting Air Force back in front, 59-58.
From there, no scoring was to be had on either end, as both teams combined for an 0-10 stretch before Perry took a driving layup found off the hands of Smith who was tied up along the right baseline to give the Falcons a 61-58 lead with 2:59 remaining.
At 63-62 with 1:32 left in regulation, Hofschild's fifth successful driving layup of the contest brought the Rams back in front, before Pilson responded on the other end with a tip-in off a missed Perry three-pointer, once again placing Air Force in the lead.
At 46 seconds, CSU's Caitlyn Crocker drove the Air Force basket, making her layup and drawing the and-one opportunity off Huntimer giving the Rams a two-point lead. Crocker missed the resulting free throw, which fell into the hands of Perry as Air Force head coach Chris Gobrecht called timeout to advance the ball.
Huntimer, on the inbounds pass, pitched the ball off to Smith, who took a contested three-pointer out on the right wing, sinking her key attempt and giving the Falcons a 66-64 lead with just 30 seconds left in regulation.
With the Falcons up 67-65 with four seconds remaining after both sides foul and go 1-2 from the free-throw line, Hofschild gets the ball on the final possession driving up the left side, but her layup goes over the opposite side of the rim as time expired, sealing the final score and Air Force's sixth win over Colorado State in the last seven contests.
The Falcons are back on the west coast on Feb. 2 for a season rematch with Fresno State.
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – A red-hot start for the Air Force women's basketball team in the opening half on Saturday against Colorado State proved decisive in a 67-65 victory over the Rams in Clune Arena.
Air Force (11-11, 6-4 MW), through the first half of play, managed to stifle one of the nation's most dynamic offenses in CSU, holding the Rams to 35.7 percent from the field and 0-4 from three. Prior to today, the Rams (13-8, 6-4 MW) have averaged .463 shooting, and .393 from three-point range on the season - the fifth-best shooting rate in the nation from beyond the arc.
Four Falcons posted double-digit scoring efforts on Saturday, led for the second-consecutive game by senior Kamri Heath with 15 (7-14 FG, 1 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL); Sophomore Jo Huntimer posted 12 points, with freshman Faith Shelton and sophomore Madison Smith following up 11 each, a new career high for Shelton. Smith, adding a career-high 11 rebounds to her tally, notched the first double-double of her intercollegiate career.
At an early 8-7 Air Force lead behind Smith's first three-pointer of the day and a pair of opening baskets from Heath and freshman Milahnie Perry, Huntimer opened her performance with a quick five points off a transition layup driving along the right baseline, and an open-look three-pointer from the top of the arc to give the Falcons a lead which they ultimately managed to maintain until the fourth quarter. Huntimer capped a season-high eight-point quarter with a second-straight three, shortly followed by another, this time by Shelton, capping a 4-4 team showing from three-point range for the Falcons – the first Air Force quarter of the season to end perfect from outside the arc with more than two attempts.
Down the final 1:44 in the first quarter, Heath outscored CSU as a team 7-2, starting off on a pair of successful jumpers to push a 24-17 Air Force lead with just over a minute to go. With the shot clock off and the Falcons owning the final possession, Heath kept the ball, driving into heavy CSU traffic inside the post, making good on a hook shot as time expired, drawing the shooting foul off of CSU's Sydney Mech. Heath made the resulting and-one free throw, closing the first quarter with a 27-17 Falcon lead.
Air Force started the second quarter much like the first, as senior Nikki McDonald, fighting her way toward the CSU rim, found Smith out on the perimeter who made her second three-pointer of the day, improving Air Force to 5-5 from distance and pushing the Falcons out to a 13-point lead.
From there, the Air Force scoring attack went dark for the next six minutes, but the Falcons managed to hold CSU to two made baskets through that span, before a returning Heath sparked a 9-2 scoring run down the final two and a half minutes which included Huntimer's 3-3 three-point attempt with 50 seconds remaining. With the shot clock off and Air Force owning the final possession, Huntimer missed her first three-point attempt of the day off the front of the rim. Underneath, junior Dasha Macmillan found the rebound and made the tip-in attempt as time expired to push Air Force out to a 39-24 lead heading into the locker room.
Coming out of the half, Colorado State managed to get back to its shooting ways, going 6-9 (.667) from three-point range after opening the half on four-straight successful three-pointers.
Heath opened the second half for Air Force with a pair of jumpers off the high post, improving to 15 on the day and giving Air Force its highest lead of the day at 17, before a 12-2 CSU run had the Rams quickly back within single digits.
At 3:39 with the Falcons up by nine, Smith, driving into the post, kicked it out left to a driving Faith Shelton for a layup, immediately followed on the next possession by a second-chance make for Shelton, rebounding on a missed shot from Smith.
Back-to-back CSU threes inside of the final 39 seconds of the third quarter cut the Falcons' lead back to five. On the final possession, CSU's Kendyll Kinzer took the ball past the midcourt line, shooting a three from nearly seven feet beyond the arc, making the third buzzer-beating score of the game and leaving the Falcons up just 53-48 heading into the final quarter.
A dramatic and eventful fourth quarter was underscored by eight lead changes, as the remainder of Air Force's lead dwindled and fell away behind a CSU 8-2 scoring advantage within the first two minutes to give the Rams their first lead since the opening stages of the game.
Pilson then retook the lead off a pair of made free throws after a shooting foul, and a midcourt steal on CSU's McKenna Hofschild (29 pts.), getting the transition bucket putting Air Force back in front, 59-58.
From there, no scoring was to be had on either end, as both teams combined for an 0-10 stretch before Perry took a driving layup found off the hands of Smith who was tied up along the right baseline to give the Falcons a 61-58 lead with 2:59 remaining.
At 63-62 with 1:32 left in regulation, Hofschild's fifth successful driving layup of the contest brought the Rams back in front, before Pilson responded on the other end with a tip-in off a missed Perry three-pointer, once again placing Air Force in the lead.
At 46 seconds, CSU's Caitlyn Crocker drove the Air Force basket, making her layup and drawing the and-one opportunity off Huntimer giving the Rams a two-point lead. Crocker missed the resulting free throw, which fell into the hands of Perry as Air Force head coach Chris Gobrecht called timeout to advance the ball.
Huntimer, on the inbounds pass, pitched the ball off to Smith, who took a contested three-pointer out on the right wing, sinking her key attempt and giving the Falcons a 66-64 lead with just 30 seconds left in regulation.
With the Falcons up 67-65 with four seconds remaining after both sides foul and go 1-2 from the free-throw line, Hofschild gets the ball on the final possession driving up the left side, but her layup goes over the opposite side of the rim as time expired, sealing the final score and Air Force's sixth win over Colorado State in the last seven contests.
The Falcons are back on the west coast on Feb. 2 for a season rematch with Fresno State.
Team Stats
CSU
USAFA
FG%
.431
.391
3FG%
.353
.389
FT%
.750
.588
RB
30
45
TO
7
9
STL
4
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
15
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
1
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballC/F
/ Women's BasketballG
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