San Francisco, CA (12/2908) --  The Academy of Art women's basketball team dropped another tough game at home, as the visiting San Francisco State Gators walked away with the victory, 59-57. Even though the Knights lost tonight It was clear to all of the AAU women's basketball fans that this team came out more focused than ever before. The Urban Knights were on a mission to prove to their fans and their opponents that they were a force to be reckoned with. Although they lost the match by two points in the final seconds of the game, Coach Lindsey Yamasaki is pleased with how the young women played tonight "In my eyes this game is a victory. We played hard for a full 40-minutes, and even though the scoreboard doesn't reflect my vision we need to be proud of the way we played tonight." Coach Yamasaki is right, tonight's team was more poised, and seemed more mature on the floor than their previous 10 games alluded to.

The Gators scored the first four points of the game, but the Urban Knights responded by scoring the next five points, capped by a 3-pointer by Lorraine Etchell.  The first half was tight with the Knights extending their lead to as many as five on a steal by Caprice Hall who dished it to Ali Tyson-Taufoou who knocked down the jumper to bring the score to 23-16 with 4:23 remaining in the half. SFSU however would finish the half on a 6-2 run to go into the locker room up by one, 24-23.

The Gators started the second half with a 13-6 run to jump out to an early 37-29 lead, which was the biggest of the game. An offensive rebound and put back by Sondra Stilwell sparked the Knights offense as the Academy of Art  went on a 13-5 run of its own to tie the game at 42-42 with 11:16 left in the game. In the next five minutes, AAU was outscored by SF State 9-2 and was down 51-44 with a little under seven minutes to go in the game. The Urban Knights continued to fight and  followed SF State's run with a 11-2 run of their own to take their first lead of the second half , 55-53, with just 3:53 to go in regulation. SF State finished the game outscoring Academy of Art 6-2, with the game winning basket coming with just 7 seconds left on the clock, to take the 59-57 victory.

For SF State four players score in double figure, Krystle Mays led the way with 13 points and 12 rebounds off the bench. Dominique Hunter also recorded a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Jessica Hout-Freeman finished with 10 points while Desiree Butler added 10 points also for SF State.

For the Urban Knights Etchell (Healdsburg, CA) led all scores with 14 points she also had three assists and one block.  Jacqui Heck (Oxnard, CA) chipped in with nine points, while Stilwell and Levalasi Key (Citrus Heights, CA) both added eight points. Stilwell also had five assists and four steals on the night.

The Urban Knights return to the floor this weekend when they travel to Denver, Colorado where they will take on Regis University (Jan. 2) and Metro State College (Jan. 3) tip off is set for 7:00 PM and 2:00 PM respectfully.

Box Score