Rams Control Falcons in First of Two Rivalry Games

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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – No rust displayed after a three-week layoff as the Rams cruised past Air Force, 72-48, Saturday afternoon inside Clune Arena.

Colorado State led from the 6-minute mark in the first quarter and onward, keeping the Falcons at bay throughout. CSU improved to 15-2 overall, while strengthening their lead at the top of the Mountain West to 11-2 with three games remaining. The win marked head coach Ryun Williams' 100^th in Mountain West contests, joining an exclusive list of five other coaches.

Four Rams scored in double digits with Karly Murphy and Tori Williams leading with a dozen apiece. Murphy added 10 rebounds to notch her third double-double of the season and fourth all-time. Meanwhile, Williams was one board shy of joining her. McKenna Hofschild and Jamie Bonnarens chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively, while Hofshild added five assists.

"The student-athletes came out and preformed nicely considering our lengthy break from playing," Williams said. "A 19-point first quarter with good rhythm on both sides of the court set the tone. There was no hangover whatsoever other than the fourth quarter some, but let's face it that was a wonderful performance. From start to finish, I'm not sure we have done that in this building in some time."

Within that 19-point first quarter was a 13-1 run that showed the Rams did not need much time to acclimate to competition after the 21-day break. Air Force (6-15, 3-12 MW) did battle back in the first half, mostly from the 3-point line where they went 4-for-4 to start, but the hot shooting ran out as they ended the game 8-for-21 from distance. At the half, CSU led 37-24 after an 8-2 run to close out the half.

The separation in the game came in the second quarter when the Rams outscored the Falcons 22-10, putting the lead to 25 points by the end of the frame. Near the midpoint of the quarter, the Rams hit the gas when Sydney Mech and Lore Devos cashed in on two paint buckets followed by a Jamie Bonnarens trey that put CSU up 19 points. From there the Rams coasted to their eighth win in a row.

"Our 5s today were outstanding," Williams added. "I know Karly [Murphy] had a double-double, but Sydney [Mech] and Cali [Clark] were making an impact as well. They were our strength today. It is great to have Sydney back. The versatility that she gives us defensively really helps us and we can play differently with our lineups."

The Rams shot 43.5% from the field while holding the Falcons to a 28.1% clip. On the glass, the Rams had the rebound advantage 43-33. Defensively, Ellie Boni and Petra Farkas held AF's Kaelin Immel – who averages 10.5 ppg – scoreless.

The Rams and Falcons return to close out the series on Monday with a 2:30 p.m. tipoff.

For More on Colorado State Women's Basketball follow: Twitter – CSUWBasketball | Instagram – csuwbasketball | Facebook – @CSUWBasketball

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