Box Score

Hayward, CA -- Twice is nice.

Academy of Art University women's basketball remained undefeated Saturday evening with a 59-56 victory over Cal State East Bay inside CSUEB's own Pioneer Gym as part of the CCAA/PacWest Challenge. For the second consecutive contest in which the Urban Knights never trailed, ART U built a double-digit lead in the first half and grinded out a close one down the stretch. Senior Jordan Rogers led the way with 18 points and 10 rebounds in addition to making the final two free throws to keep her team in position to win.

"Defensively, we forced 29 turnovers and had 28 more field goal attempts. That won us the game," head coach LaNay Larson said. "Last night my freshmen had huge games, tonight my three seniors got us through the battle. Jordan had a huge game with a double double and was definitely a difference maker. When we could keep Katy out of foul trouble, she was unstoppable inside and dominated the paint. Arie had a good all-around game with 10 points, six boards and five assists. Not our best performance by any means, but lots to learn from this game and the situations we were in."

Although ART U got out to a 7-0 lead it was not necessarily a furious beginning on the offensive end. Senior Katy Wade had four points in that span and freshman Zoie Sheng added a triple, but stifling defense held the Pioneers to just two field goals in the first three minutes along with four turnovers. As Wade found her rhythm and Sheng found Rogers for a 3-pointer, the Knights steadily added on to eventually take a 10-point lead on a free throw by freshman Jasmin Guinn at the 12:52 mark.

CSUEB then executed a 6-0 run primarily at the free throw line to make a comeback and cut their deficit to four with just under nine minutes to play. On two more occasions in the half, the Pioneers came within two points, but the Urban Knights refused to give up the lead thanks to a layup by sophomore Alexandria Coleman and a free throw by senior Ariel Dale which sparked a 7-0 run by ART U.

Up 31-21 at halftime and owning a 20-4 points off turnovers advantage through the first period, Academy of Art quickly added to the margin in the second with a Dale jumper and a hard-earned two points by Rogers who grabbed three offensive rebounds on a single possession. The difference was 10, 39-29, at 16:18, but Cal State East Bay pushed for a quick 6-0 run to cut it down.

As the Pioneers were converting at the free throw line, the game hung in the balance with under 10 minutes to play. Rogers and freshman Sha'Nice Storey each hit shots from distance to keep ART U up, but CSUEB would not go away. A 3-pointer by freshman Regina Camera made it a 56-48 lead with two and a half left and yet, in the blink of an eye, East Bay scored seven unanswered and one point separated the teams.

Wade was fouled with 21 seconds left and headed to the line where she put in one of two. On the other side, Micah Walker was fouled and did the same, enabling Camera to grab a rebound and eventually Rogers finished things off with two made free throws in the final seconds to give Academy of Art its second victory in as many days, a 59-56 triumph.

Though both teams struggled shooting from the floor, ART U finished with 33 points off turnovers. Rogers produced the game-high of 18 points and was equally impressive rebounding the ball as she finished with 10 rebounds including eight on the offensive glass. The Sparks, NV native added four assists and was a perfect 6-of-6 from the foul line. Wade contributed 14 points and nine rebounds while Dale posted 10 points, six rebounds, and five assists off the bench. The sweep of this tournament puts Academy of Art at 2-0 on the season.

Cal State East Bay was strong off the bench with Micah Walker scoring 14 and Tori Breshers adding 10 points. Rachel Finnegan had a game-high 11 rebounds while the tandem of Cassie Coble and Lauren Lucchesi combined to score 18 points. The Pioneers are now 1-1 in this young season.

“Credit to East Bay because they really took away our strengths and controlled the pace of the game,” Coach Larson said. “I'm proud of the girls for battling through an extremely cold shooting night and finding a way to pull out a win.”

Next weekend, Urban Knights Tipoff Weekend, marks the first two home games at Kezar Pavilion for the Urban Knights this season. On Friday, Nov. 16, ART U plays host to Alaska Fairbanks at 5:00 PM. Then Sunday, Nov. 18 features a 1:00 PM pairing with Nebraska Kearney. Sign up for a FAN BUS HERE!