Cold Start Does In Air Force In 73-53 Loss To Northern Colorado

Beck leads Falcons with 18 points; Kreke has double-double with 10 points, 11 rebounds.

Sophomore Raimee Beck.
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Nov. 14, 2008

Box Score

USAF ACADEMY, Colo. - The Air Force women's basketball team opened its 2008-09 regular season with a 73-53 loss to Northern Colorado Friday night at Clune Arena. A 22-0 run by Northern Colorado in the first-half ultimately decided the game early on.

Trailing 15-9 with over 13 minutes left in the first-half, Air Force failed to score over the next 11 minutes and fell behind 37-9 before Brooke Cultra snapped the drought with a three-point basket with three minutes left to go in the half. The Bears took a 43-20 lead at the half.

Northern Colorado shot a blistering 57.9 percent from three-point range, canning 11-of-19 from long distance. The Bears shot 50.9 percent from the field. Colorado Springs native freshman Cassie Lambrecht led UNC with 13 points in just 12 minutes off the bench. Courtney Stoermer added 12 points and Kate Kevorken 11 for the Bears.

Air Force shot a dismal 30.5 percent from the field, including a cold 21.9 percent in the first half.

Sophomore Raimee Beck recovered from a slow first-half to lead the team with 18 points, 15 coming in the second-half. Senior Kim Kreke notched her first-career double-double with 10 points and a career-high 11 rebounds. Beck and Kreke also had four steals apiece to lead the team.

Senior Brooke Cultra was just shy of a double-double for the Falcons, scoring nine points and pulling down nine rebounds. Junior Kathleen Schjodt added nine points and six rebounds in 29 minutes off the bench. Sophomore Stevie Puentes led Air Force with three assists in her first-career start for the Falcons at point guard.

Despite the slow start, Air Force finished off the game on a stronger note, out-scoring UNC 33-30 in the second. Air Force did well at the free-throw line, sinking 86.7 percent of its attempts.

The Falcons suffered another setback early in the first-half when starting forward Dana Loveless went down with a leg injury and did not return the rest of the game. Her status will be re-evaluated next week.

The Falcons return to action Thursday, Nov. 20, hosting Chadron State.