Colorado State serves Air Force revenge in Moby Arena

Colorado+State+University+guard+Sydney+Mech+%2824%29+takes+a+3-point+shot+against+the+United+States+Air+Force+Academy+at+Moby+Arena+Feb.+18%2C+2023.+The+Rams+beat+the+Falcons+67-64%2C+with+Mech+contributing+8+points.

Collegian | Serena Bettis

Colorado State University guard Sydney Mech (24) takes a 3-point shot against the United States Air Force Academy at Moby Arena Feb. 18, 2023. The Rams beat the Falcons 67-64, with Mech contributing 8 points.

Leah Cackowski

Karsyn Lane, Sports Director

The Colorado State University women’s basketball team hosted the United State Air Force Academy this afternoon for a second chance to serve revenge on their southern rivals. After defending Moby Arena, the Rams closed out with a 67-64 win against the Falcons.

The Rams last faced the Falcons Jan. 28 at Air Force, when Colorado State was defeated 67-65. With only two weeks left until the Mountain West Conference, Colorado State sits comfortably ranked third compared to Air Force at seventh.

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“Returning from halftime, Colorado State’s nearly 10-point lead held prevalent as the Rams defended the court. Despite the Falcon’s attempts to break the lead, the Rams showed no mercy and served another 17 points within the third quarter.”

Kicking off with an explosive start, the Rams managed an 8-0 run leaving the Falcons with a difficult lead right out of the gate. It wasn’t long until the jump shots caught up on the scoreboard, as the two teams tied 11-11 with only 2 minutes left in the first quarter. As the first quarter ended with the Rams up 16-11, they knew the intensity needed to elevate to push into the rest of the half.

Colorado State secured 18 points in the second quarter, went 2-3 from the 3-point line and held the lead the entire quarter. The half ended in Rams’ favor, 34-25, arguably much better than the previous Air Force loss halftime score, 24-39. Oh, how the tables turned in Moby Arena today. 

Returning from halftime, Colorado State’s nearly 10-point lead held prevalent as the Rams defended the court. Despite the Falcon’s attempts to break the lead, the Rams showed no mercy and served another 17 points within the third quarter.

It wasn’t until the final quarter that the Falcons delivered a bit of pressure on the Rams. Slowly but surely, the Falcons chipped away at the Rams’ lead. With less than two minutes on the clock, Air Force managed to cut the lead in half and trail CSU 63-58.

With 30 seconds left in the match, officials called a foul putting both teams on the free-throw line and turning it into a one-shot game. Intensity levels grew severe and the Rams wanted the final move. The Falcons were 3 and had possession of the ball with only 8 seconds on the clock, but they failed to break through as the Rams suffocated the offense with an unbreakable defense.

Colorado State Leaders:

Points: #4 McKenna Hofschild (25)

Rebounds: #55 Meghan Boyd (6)

Assists: Hofschild (8)

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Steals: #2 Destiny Thurman (3)

The Rams will take this week off before heading up north for the final Border War battle against the University of Wyoming on at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 25 in Laramie, Wyoming.

Reach Karsyn Lane at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @karsynlane1