Box Score
Belmont, CA ---- The Urban Knights routed Notre Dame de Namur 70-58 on Monday evening to pick up their first ever victory over the Argos. In the win, senior Jessica Nolan went off for a season high 22 points, and three ART U starters reached double figures in scoring. Nolan and junior Nicole DeRosier, packed a one-two punch tonight at Walter Gleason Gym in Belmont, CA; combining for 38 of the Urban Knights' 70 points enroute to their victory over Notre Dame de Namur. With the win, the Academy of Art women's basketball team moves ahead of NDNU in the Pacific West Conference standings, and now sit in a tie for fourth place with the University of Hawaii-Hilo. The Urban Knights bring their conference record to 5-5 and are 7-12 overall, while NDNU falls to 4-5 in conference play and 7-12 overall.

“I am so happy with our win tonight for a couple of reasons,” Head Coach Lindsey Yamasaki said. “First, we finally broke our losing streak against NDNU! Secondly, there wasn't a time tonight that I didn't feel like we weren't going to win. This was one of the first times that I have gone to a huddle during a timeout and the girls were coaching themselves. It made me feel confident in their ability to get over the hump and keep NDNU down.”

The Urban Knights scored the first six points of the game and controlled the majority of the first half. After the fourth tie in the half, NDNU took their first lead of the game, 31-29, with 3:47 remaining. The Urban Knights quickly rallied back to regain the lead and closed the half on a Jessica Nolan lay-up. Despite being out shot from the field 40% to 37.5%, the Urban Knights entered the locker room with a two point advantage over the Argos, 33-31.

Both teams came out in the second half eager for the win. ARU U went up by three points within the first minute of play. The Argos answered right back tying the game for the sixth time, and then took the lead 36-34 with 17:36 remaining in the game. After the seventh and final tie, the ART U women pulled away from the Argos with the help of a 14-2 run which was sparked by senior Jasmine English. The run gave ART U their largest lead of the game, 52-41, with less than 10 minutes to play. The Argonauts were unable to muster a serious comeback,  and ART U cruised to a 70-58 victory.

NDNU was led by Jennica Janssen who finished the game with 12 points. Emily Vore added 11 points, and the leading rebounder in the PacWest, Pilar Mullins, grabbed a game high 15 rebounds.

Jessica Nolan was nearly perfect from the floor in the game. The senior registered her ninth double-double of the season, and recorded a season high 22 points by going 10-of-16 from the floor, and a perfect 2-for-2 from the free-throw line. She also added two assists, and three steals to her rap sheet.

“Jess continues to make me so proud. Tonight she worked hard to own the glass and she looked to score even under pressure all doing it without getting flustered or frustrated. She is growing as a leader at it makes such a difference,” said Yamasaki.

Nicole DeRosier led the charge for the Urban Knights early on, notching 10 of her 16 points in the first half. “I love when Nicole gets her offense going early,” said Yamasaki. “We feed off her threes. But more than that, Nicole has proven to be someone that will come up in the clutch down the stretch. She hit a couple big buckets for us tonight and two free-throws that kept put the game out of reach.” Yamasaki said.

Junior Devin London added 10 points, four assists and two steals in the win. While Jasmine English chipped in with eight points, and freshman Madeline Houston dished out five assists and nabbed two steals.

Next up for ART U are two games on the road against Grand Canyon University and Dixie State College. Both teams have dropped just one contest this season and are tied for second place in the PacWest Conference.

“This two game winning streak came at the right time. We know that if we have any chance of stealing a win at GCU or Dixie we're going to need momentum and confidence. Beating NDNU tonight does a lot for our morale and mindset heading into this weeks road trip,” Yamasaki closed.