Colorado State University Athletics
Saturday, February 15
USAF Academy, Colo.
1:00 PM
Colorado State
19-7,10-3Mountain West
65
at
58
Air Force
14-11,4-9Mountain West
1
2
3
4
F
Colorado St.
17
22
13
13
65
Air Force
18
8
14
18
58
Rams Survive Furious Falcon Comeback
2/15/2025 3:51:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Colorado State escapes Air Force, snaps four-game losing streak on base.
USAFA – Colorado State women's basketball saw a 17-point fourth-quarter lead cut down to just three, but CSU made the right plays down the stretch to knock off Air Force, 65-58, and win at Clune Arena for the first time in the last five attempts.
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Trailing by one entering the second quarter, the Rams (19-7, 10-3 MW) put their foot on the gas and went on a 22-5 scoring run across the rest of the half, storming into the locker room with a 39-26 lead in hand.
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However, Air Force is never an easy place to win, and the Flacons (14-10, 4-8 MW) rallied back to remind CSU of that fact. After turning the ball over just twice throughout the first three quarters, the Rams were forced into five giveaways that resulted in 11 points for their opponents in the fourth quarter, facilitating a 16-2 run that made it a single-possession affair with one-and-a-half minutes remaining.
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Colorado State turned to its go-to player, Emma Ronsiek, in the final moments as she converted two buckets down low to keep Air Force at bay and secure the win on base. The Rams improved to 6-2 on the road this season and are now 11-5 in games decided by less than 10 points.
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Emma Ronsiek led a balanced box score for Colorado State with her 14 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three blocks. Her sister, Hannah Ronsiek, also stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, nine boards, three blocks and two steals, while Hannah Simental (13 points) and Marta Leimane (11 points) rounded out the double-digit scorers.
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How It Happened
It was a quiet start to the game for both teams as they each opened the day shooting 1-of-5 from the field. Emma Ronsiek came alive to score eight points out of the media timeout, but Air Force knocked down a pair of late triples to take an 18-17 lead after the first.
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Air Force knocked down another 3-pointer out of the quarter break, but Colorado State put its foot down and took control from there. The Rams scored 22 of the final 27 points of the quarter, including a 13-0 run spearheaded by seven points from Leimane. After forcing a shot-clock violation on the defensive end with less than 10 seconds remaining, CSU took the ball up the floor and found a wide-open Simental in the corner who knocked down a 3-ball to take a 39-26 lead into halftime.
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The national leader in turnovers per game entering the day, Colorado State was perfect in the first half with no giveaways in the opening 20 minutes. Meanwhile, the Rams forced six turnovers from the Falcons and turned them into 13 points on the offensive end.
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The Falcons were able to douse the Rams' flame in the third quarter as they forced CSU into shooting 26.7% (4-15) from the field. However, Colorado State took away the 3-ball away from Air Force, helping sustain a 52-40 lead entering the final stanza.
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For as good as Colorado State had been protecting the ball all night, turnovers became just as big of an issue in the fourth quarter. Air Force deployed a full-court press that gave the Rams fits and resulted in five turnovers giveaways, putting a halt to the CSU offensive attack. Even worse, those turnovers led to 11 points on the other end and gave license for the furious 16-2 run for the home team.
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The CSU lead was methodically cut down to just three points with 1:25 remaining in the game, putting the Rams in a position where errors were no longer an option. On the CSU' ensuing possession, freshman guard Brooke Carlson blew by her defender and slid a pass across the lane to Emma Ronsiek, who converted the wide open layup to push ahead by five.
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The Rams grouped together on the defensive end and got the stop they needed, but even more importantly prevented a 13th offensive rebound by the Falcons. After a deflected pass put the ball on the CSU sideline, the ball was inbounded to Emma Ronsiek who took her opponent to the rack and used an acrobatic move to sink what would prove to be the dagger layup.
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Up Next
The Rams have two big-time matchups at Moby Arena next week, beginning with an Orange-Out showdown against Fresno State at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday (Feb. 19). Saturday (Feb. 22) will see the Rams challenge the top team in the MW this season as UNLV visits Moby for the Pink Out. Tickets to all CSU women's basketball home games can be purchased at CSURams.com/WBBTickets.
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Trailing by one entering the second quarter, the Rams (19-7, 10-3 MW) put their foot on the gas and went on a 22-5 scoring run across the rest of the half, storming into the locker room with a 39-26 lead in hand.
Â
However, Air Force is never an easy place to win, and the Flacons (14-10, 4-8 MW) rallied back to remind CSU of that fact. After turning the ball over just twice throughout the first three quarters, the Rams were forced into five giveaways that resulted in 11 points for their opponents in the fourth quarter, facilitating a 16-2 run that made it a single-possession affair with one-and-a-half minutes remaining.
Â
Colorado State turned to its go-to player, Emma Ronsiek, in the final moments as she converted two buckets down low to keep Air Force at bay and secure the win on base. The Rams improved to 6-2 on the road this season and are now 11-5 in games decided by less than 10 points.
Â
Emma Ronsiek led a balanced box score for Colorado State with her 14 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three blocks. Her sister, Hannah Ronsiek, also stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, nine boards, three blocks and two steals, while Hannah Simental (13 points) and Marta Leimane (11 points) rounded out the double-digit scorers.
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How It Happened
It was a quiet start to the game for both teams as they each opened the day shooting 1-of-5 from the field. Emma Ronsiek came alive to score eight points out of the media timeout, but Air Force knocked down a pair of late triples to take an 18-17 lead after the first.
Â
Air Force knocked down another 3-pointer out of the quarter break, but Colorado State put its foot down and took control from there. The Rams scored 22 of the final 27 points of the quarter, including a 13-0 run spearheaded by seven points from Leimane. After forcing a shot-clock violation on the defensive end with less than 10 seconds remaining, CSU took the ball up the floor and found a wide-open Simental in the corner who knocked down a 3-ball to take a 39-26 lead into halftime.
Â
The national leader in turnovers per game entering the day, Colorado State was perfect in the first half with no giveaways in the opening 20 minutes. Meanwhile, the Rams forced six turnovers from the Falcons and turned them into 13 points on the offensive end.
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The Falcons were able to douse the Rams' flame in the third quarter as they forced CSU into shooting 26.7% (4-15) from the field. However, Colorado State took away the 3-ball away from Air Force, helping sustain a 52-40 lead entering the final stanza.
Â
For as good as Colorado State had been protecting the ball all night, turnovers became just as big of an issue in the fourth quarter. Air Force deployed a full-court press that gave the Rams fits and resulted in five turnovers giveaways, putting a halt to the CSU offensive attack. Even worse, those turnovers led to 11 points on the other end and gave license for the furious 16-2 run for the home team.
Â
The CSU lead was methodically cut down to just three points with 1:25 remaining in the game, putting the Rams in a position where errors were no longer an option. On the CSU' ensuing possession, freshman guard Brooke Carlson blew by her defender and slid a pass across the lane to Emma Ronsiek, who converted the wide open layup to push ahead by five.
Â
The Rams grouped together on the defensive end and got the stop they needed, but even more importantly prevented a 13th offensive rebound by the Falcons. After a deflected pass put the ball on the CSU sideline, the ball was inbounded to Emma Ronsiek who took her opponent to the rack and used an acrobatic move to sink what would prove to be the dagger layup.
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Up Next
The Rams have two big-time matchups at Moby Arena next week, beginning with an Orange-Out showdown against Fresno State at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday (Feb. 19). Saturday (Feb. 22) will see the Rams challenge the top team in the MW this season as UNLV visits Moby for the Pink Out. Tickets to all CSU women's basketball home games can be purchased at CSURams.com/WBBTickets.
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Team Stats
CSU
USAFA
FG%
.397
.339
3FG%
.450
.250
FT%
.667
.650
RB
34
44
TO
7
9
STL
4
7
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
14
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's BasketballG
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