Air Force Academy

March 7, 2011

This week, the Air Force women’s basketball team heads to the 2011 Conoco Mountain West Conference Championships, being held March 8-12 in Las Vegas, Nev. The ninth-seeded Falcons will face fourth-seed Colorado State in the first game of the tournament, scheduled for 2:00 p.m. (PT) on Tuesday.

Game Information

Live Stats/Audio: themwc.com

Radio: The Sports Animal AM 1300

This Season’s Meetings: Colorado State swept Air Force during the regular season, winning a 64-58 decision at the Academy on Jan. 25 and a 70-49 contest in Fort Collins on Feb. 26.

Head Coaches:

        Air Force: Andrea Williams (8-21/First Season; 20-56/Third Season overall)

        Colorado State: Kristen Holt (36-52/Third Season; 57-68/Fourth Season)

Last Time Out...

Despite career-high marks from sophomores Dymond James and Alicia Leipprandt, Air Force came short of its fourth conference victory, dropping a 73-70 overtime contest to New Mexico Saturday afternoon in Clune Arena.

James registered her sixth double-double of the season, finishing with a career-high 26 points to go along with 13 rebounds, while Leipprandt added a career-best 24 points.

Scouting the Falcons...

Air Force, seeded ninth in this year’s conference tournament, wrapped up the regular season with an 8-21 overall record and 3-13 mark in the Mountain West Conference.

Sophomore Dymond James leads the Falcons with 11.5 points and 6.9 rebounds per contest, while senior Raimee Beck adds 11.3 points per game.

Scouting the Rams...

Colorado State, the fourth seed in this year’s tournament, wrapped up the regular season with a 14-15 overall record and 7-9 mark in the MWC.

Kim Mestdagh leads the Rams with 17.3 points per game, while Sam Martin adds 12.8 points and a team-best 6.3 rebounds per contest.

How We Rate...

In the latest conference statistics, Air Force ranks second in the MWC in three-point field goal percentage (.348).

Meanwhile, several Falcons rank among the conference’s top-10 individual leaders:

                                   Rank     Stat

Rebounds

Dymond James          10         6.9

Assists

Megan Muniz             7           3.9

FT Pct.

Raimee Beck              5           .836

3PT FG Made

Raimee Beck              9           1.8

Assist/Turnover Ratio

Megan Muniz             4           1.9

Defensive Rebounds

Dymond James          T6         5.2

How They Rate...

In the latest conference statistics, Colorado State ranks third in the MWC in free throw percentage (.743), field goal percentage (.415), three-point field goal percentage (.344), rebounding defense (34.4) and assists (15.0).

Meanwhile, several Rams rank among the conference’s top-10 individual leaders in various categories:

                                   Rank     Stat

Scoring

Kim Mestdagh           3           17.3

Sam Martin                10         12.8

FG Pct.

Sam Martin                2           .548        

FT Pct.

Kim Mestdagh           2           .874

Sam Martin                6           .813

Steals

Kim Mestdagh           2           1.9

Chantel Kennedy        T8         1.6

3PT FG Pct.

Kim Mestdagh           3           .397

3PT FG Made

Kim Mestdagh           2           2.8          

Blocked Shots

Sam Martin                7           1.2

Offensive Rebounds

Sam Martin                10         2.2

LAst Time Against the RAms...

Unable to overcome a late first-half run by the home team, Air Force dropped a 70-49 contest to Colorado State at Moby Arena on Feb. 26.

The Falcons were outscored 19-3 over the final eight minutes of the opening half, as they went into the break with a 39-22 deficit.

Senior Raimee Beck, who scored Air Force’s first eight points, and sophomore Dymond James each finished with 13 points to lead the Falcons, while Beck also added a team-best seven rebounds.

Meanwhile, Kim Mestdagh led the Rams with 26 points, while Sam Martin added 21 points and 10 rebounds.

Air Force at the MWC Championships...

Air Force has a 1-11 record all-time at the Mountain West Conference Championships. The Falcons’ lone victory was a 47-46 win over Colorado State in 2007.

Meanwhile, the Falcons are 1-1 against the Rams in the MWC tournament. Colorado State won the initial tournament match-up between the two teams, 79-68, in 2002.

Dymond’s Career night...

Sophomore Dymond James had a spectacular game against New Mexico on Saturday, scoring a career-high 26 points. In the first 20-point output of her career, James set new career-high marks for field goals made (11) and attempted (17).

Alicia Scores 20..

Sophomore Alicia Leipprandt also had a career day against New Mexico, dropping in a career-best 24 points, including a career-high nine made free throws. It marked the second 20-point game of Leipprandt’s career, after she scored 20 points in a win over Chicago State last season.

Muniz Against New mexico...

For the second-straight game against her hometown team, New Mexico, sophomore Megan Muniz put up some career-high numbers. While scoring just two points in the Falcons’ game against the Lobos on Saturday, Muniz grabbed a career-high seven rebounds, while dishing out seven assists, to match her career-best total.

Dymond with the double-Double...

Sophomore Dymond James registered her sixth double-double of the season against New Mexico on Saturday, finishing with 26 points and 13 rebounds.

James has now recorded double-figures in rebounding eight times this season, including a career-high 15 boards against Portland.

Falcons in OT...

Air Force’s game against New Mexico on Saturday was its second overtime contest of the year. Prior to the Falcons’ overtime win against Colgate on Jan. 2, Air Force had not played an overtime game since Nov. 30, 2007, when the Falcons defeated Hampton, 85-84.

With a 1-1 record this year in overtime, Air Force holds a 15-10 all-time record in overtime contests.

Season-Scoring Record...

With 1,762 points on the season, Air Force has set a program record for points scored in a single season during the team’s Division I era. The previous record of 1,753 points was set during the 2005-06 season.

Single-Season Leaders...

Averaging 6.9 rebounds per contest, sophomore Dymond James now has 201 boards on the season. That total ranks as the third-best single-season mark in the Academy’s Division I history.

In addition, Megan Muniz’s 112 assists are the second-highest single-season total at the Division I level, while Raimee Beck ranks sixth on the list in three-pointers made (50) and fifth in three-point field goal attempts (151).

Dymond In Double-Digits...

With her 26 points against New Mexico on Saturday, sophomore Dymond James scored in double figures for the 14th time in 16 conference games. For the season, James has registered at least 10 points in a team-leading 21 games.

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