Box Score

Nampa, ID -- Facing its first deficit of the 2012-13 season in the opening half, Academy of Art University women's basketball came up just a three-pointer short of Northwest Nazarene the 66-62 Crusader victory Friday night as part of the Fairfield Inn Classic. ART U fought back after trailing at halftime, led by six midway through the second period, and had a chance to tie late on a triple by freshman Zoie Sheng, but it did not fall and NNU prevailed inside its own Johnson Sports Center. Senior Ariel Dale, Pacific West Conference Player of the Week, posted a team-high 16 points and eight rebounds.

“We faced a lot of adversity tonight and found ourselves in situations we haven't been in this season,” head coach LaNay Larson said. “We were able to get leads in each half, but had defensive lapses that we absolutely can't have on the road against a team like NNU.”

The ART U senior class was on display early as a layup by Katy Wade, a jumper from Jordan Rogers, and a 3-pointer by Nicol Biesek elevated the Knights to an early 7-0 lead. Freshman Regina Camera got in on the offense with a triple of her own and it soon looked to be the patented quick advantage for Academy of Art, now up 10-4.

Facing an undefeated Crusader squad also known for its pressure defense, ART U then felt a 15-8 push back by NNU which ultimately resulted in the Urban Knights' first deficit of the year. To that point, Academy of Art had led all opponents for over 170 minutes this season.

The Northwest Nazarene advantage would maintain for the remainder of the half, but important contributions off the bench by Dale kept ART U close. Late in the period, Dale led a fast break to Sheng who converted a tough layup before Wade's pair of free throws made it a five-point margin. Back and forth to the end of the half, NNU held a 32-28 lead at the intermission.

Academy of Art broke out of the halftime break with a 13-5 run to not only retake the lead, but also build its own four-point advantage on 3-pointer by Camera and a free throw by freshman Sha'Nice Storey. At 11:34, Sheng swiped a steal at halfcourt and made her way to the rim for an easy layup to make it 45-39 in favor of the Knights.

The host Crusaders responded, however, with a steady 19-9 run despite repeated trips to the foul line for Wade and Dale. Soon a clutch Rogers triple made it a one-point game, 58-57, with still 4:40 left to play. Dangerous from the free throw stripe on Friday, Northwest Nazarene then managed to increase its lead back to six with six consecutive made foul shots.

Not giving up, Rogers smoothly threaded a pass inside to Wade for a basket with just over a minute left. Rogers then promptly stole the ball, got it to Sheng who was fouled and converted two at the line. A precarious 64-62 NNU lead was aided by a free throw, but a miss by Megan Hingston left the door open for Sheng's 3-pointer with four seconds left. It would hit the right iron and bounce off, however, as the Crusaders prevailed 66-62.

Despite the loss, the ART U offense was spread amongst eight Urban Knights led by Dale's 16 points which included 8-of-8 from the free throw line along with eight rebounds and three assists. Wade offered 13 points and six rebounds while Camera delivered nine points and seven rebounds. Three other ART U players, Biesek, Rogers, and Sheng, added seven points apiece for the Urban Knights who move to 4-1 on the year.

NNU's Chelsie Luke paced all players with 20 points (8-of-13 from the field) and five rebounds while Hingston added a double-double in the form of 17 points and 14 rebounds. A third Crusader, Kylee Schierman, reached double figures with 12 points in addition to grabbing eight rebounds. Northwest Nazarene remains without a loss yet this season, now 4-0 in 2012-13.

“On a night we struggled shooting, we needed to get stops and boards and that was something we were unable to do in key situations,” Coach Larson said. “This team is very new to each other and still a work in progress. We have to stay focused and bounce back against another tough GNAC opponent in Central Washington tomorrow.”

The Urban Knights return to Johnson Sports Center tomorrow evening for a matchup with Central Washington, who suffered its first loss of the season to Metro State on Friday. ART U and CWU are set to tip off at 4:00 PM MT (3:00 PM PT).