LAS VEGAS — Only one more tango till the Big Dance.
Yet this championship game is not a regular competitive match. It’s amplified as Colorado fans will see its two Mountain West teams, No. 3 Colorado State and No. 9 Air Force, face off for a chance to make it to March Madness.
The Rams performed well in February, finishing with a 6-1 record, which carried over into March and eventually the MW Tournament, helping CSU secure a first-round bye.
The Rams’ first order of business was Grand Canyon.
CSU ran the game right down to the wire, as it wasn’t until the final second of the game that Madelyn Bragg made a layup, sending Ram fans into a frenzy of cheers since not too long ago, CSU had been eliminated in its first game of the tournament.
For Bragg, instead of holding onto the win, she wiped the slate clean and focused on what was in front of her.
“You (have) got to reset,” Bragg said. “Each team is a different battle of its own. I mean, sure, the momentum from last night’s game definitely carried. But tonight, my other teammates stepped up and did their jobs.”
The next order of business was taking down UNLV, a team that the Rams hadn’t done well against in recent years. The Lady Rebels had actually eliminated CSU from the MW Tournament two seasons ago, meaning each of the UNLV players had targets on their backs.
But in the second quarter, one of the Rams’ best players, Lexus Bargesser, left the game injured. She hopped on one foot around the court and assisted herself to the medical area. She later came out with her knee wrapped and didn’t see action for the rest of the game.
“I mean, prayers up to (Lexus) for that,” McKenna Murphy said. “She’s a great teammate, (and an) even better person. I think just knowing that she’s probably out for the next game, we can go get a win for her.”
With Bargesser out, it was up to the rest of CSU’s playmakers to not only play to advance in the tournament but also fight for the loss of their teammate who couldn’t be there.
And then came Marta Leimane.
From the first quarter of the game, Leimane made two key 3-pointers and was unstoppable from there. She never slowed her pace and finished off Monday’s contest with 16 points, making 4-of-5 3’s.
Leimane also tacked on three rebounds and four assists, marking herself as the MVP of the night.
“(Marta) is such a good player,” fellow senior Hannah Ronsiek said. “Throughout her career here, she’s had some ebbs and flows, but to see her come back as the player I know she can be is super awesome, and I’m super proud of her.”
Brooke Carlson also had a highly productive night as she finished with 19 points, 14 of which came from the second half.
Although it was hard to lose Bargesser, the Rams stepped up for her and bought themselves a ticket to the championship and a chance to play their in-state rival. Bargesser’s status for Tuesday remains questionable, per head coach Ryun Williams.
The Falcons had a 7-13 conference record before the tournament, but when they stepped into the Thomas and Mack Center, something clicked. In their first game of the tournament, AFA pulled the upset against Wyoming as they took the lead at the beginning of the game and never let up.
Its top scorer was Milahnie Perry with 18 points.
After the win, the Falcons moved on to the quarterfinals, in which they took on No. 1 San Diego State.
The previous two times the Aztecs and Falcons had met earlier in the season, SDSU won — as it had in most games throughout the season. In fact, the second game against the Aztecs was AFA’s last regular conference game, and it lost 74-57.
Five days later, the Falcons got their chance for revenge.
Despite SDSU having the lead going into halftime, the competitive energy came through, as both teams doubled their offensive output. Perry once again came out with the most points for AFA with a career-high of 33.
Near the end of the game, the Falcons stretched the lead to 10 points, which ended up solidifying the rest of the matchup, making that win as history with the first time either AFA basketball program won two games in the MW Tournament.
The Falcons had one last team to go against before the championship matchup: Boise State. It was their second-ever semifinal appearance, and once again, they pulled the upset and walked out with a tight 68-66 victory, securing their first-ever postseason championship bid.
Perry was a massive weapon, finishing the night with 27 points.
“Perry’s arguably the hottest player in the country right now,” Williams said. “When you have that weaponry, and they’re always disruptive, they always play with incredible effort. … That’s why we know we’re going to have to play our best game of the tournament (against AFA). There’s no question about that.”
This will be the first time that a No. 9 seed will compete in the championship game since 2008.
AFA lost both times this season to CSU, but what the Falcons have shown throughout their wins is that teams that have previously beaten them can’t get too comfortable.
The Colorado teams will face each other at 6:30 p.m. PT Tuesday.
Reach Sophie Webb at sports@collegian.com or on social media @sophgwebb.
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