Falcon basketball team falls to Colorado State, 63-42

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U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo (AFPN) --  Colorado State University shot more than 68 percent from the field in the second half to pull away as the Air Force Academy women’s basketball team lost to the Rams, 63-42, here Feb. 3. The Falcons drop to 6-13 overall and 1-5 in the Mountain West Conference, while Colorado State improves to 13-6 and 4-2 in the conference.

Both teams struggled offensively in the opening period with the Falcons holding a 9-8 advantage midway through the first half. However, the Rams began to find their rhythm, outscoring Air Force 19-5 for the remainder of the half to take a 27-14 lead into the break. Colorado State also forced 12 turnovers by the Falcons in the opening period, while pushing its way to a 26-14 advantage on the boards. Air Force’s first-half score tied a season low for points in a half.

Air Force tried to make some noise coming out of the locker room, using tough defense and a solid shooting effort to claw its way back into the game. With just under 11 minutes remaining, the Falcons trailed 42-34 and had some momentum going in their direction. Following a miss by the Rams, Alecia Steele went up strong for the rebound, but a jump ball was called, keeping the ball in Colorado State’s possession. That seemed to be a turning point in the contest, as the Rams went on a 19-3 run to essentially seal the victory.

While Colorado State shot more than 48 percent for the game, the Falcons were able to hit only 32 percent of their shots. Even more significantly, the Rams hit 8-of-11 free throws (including 6-of-9 in the first half), while Air Force hit a season-low 2-of-4 foul shots. In addition, Colorado State, the conference’s leading rebounding team, finished with a 42-25 rebound advantage.

Leading the way for the Falcons in the game was Steele with 12 points and seven rebounds. Jacki Novak finished with a career-high 10 points. Lauren Henderson added 8 points.

Air Force wraps up the first half of the conference slate here Feb. 5 against the University of Wyoming.