Air Force Women’s Basketball lost to Colorado State 66-52 on Saturday afternoon at Moby Arena in Fort Collins. The Falcons led early in the game and kept the score close through the first half, but Colorado State took control in the second half.
Senior Milahnie Perry was the top scorer of the game with 17 points. This performance moved her into second place all-time in career scoring for Air Force. Junior Alexis Cortez added 10 points, eight of which came in the first quarter.
The Falcons started strong with back-to-back three-pointers and a 7-2 run, capped by a three from freshman Eva Love, giving them a 15-8 lead. At the end of the first quarter, Perry scored on a drive to put Air Force ahead 17-12.
In the second quarter, Keelie O’Hollaren made a three-pointer to extend Air Force’s lead to eight points. However, this was their only basket until O’Hollaren hit another at just over five minutes left in the half. Despite their defensive efforts, Colorado State went on a 10-2 run late in the quarter and took a narrow 31-29 lead into halftime after several lead changes.
Colorado State outscored Air Force 17-10 in the third quarter and built up a nine-point advantage heading into the final period. Perry secured her spot as second all-time scorer with her first basket of the second half. CSU’s Lexus Bargesser responded with six quick points to push their lead further. Technical fouls called on both Bargesser and CSU head coach Ryun Williams gave Air Force extra free throw opportunities that helped reduce their deficit before entering the fourth quarter.
Early in the fourth, Air Force closed within seven points but could not get closer as Colorado State rebuilt its double-digit margin and maintained it for the rest of the game.
Despite losing, Air Force (13-16 overall, 7-12 Mountain West) had more successful three-pointers (five), forced more turnovers leading to points (16), grabbed more offensive rebounds (10), scored more second-chance points (eight), had more fast break points (eight), blocks (six), and steals (seven) than Colorado State.
The Falcons will recognize their upcoming graduates during their regular-season finale against San Diego State on Tuesday at Clune Arena.
