Box Score

Photo Gallery (images by Rob Garcia)

San Rafael, CA – Urban Knights women's basketball battled to make it nine consecutive victories Tuesday evening, pulling out a 77-69 win against Dominican. Inside their Conlan Rec Center, the Penguins heated up from distance and tied the game late before a 12-4 ART U run created separation. Junior forward Ariel Dale paced Academy of Art University with 16 points while junior guard Jordan Rogers added 13 points and 10 rebounds for her second double-double of the season.

“Winning 9 in a row is tough, and we played a Dominican team that wasn't going to go down without a fight,” head coach LaNay Larson said.

Both teams struggled offensively in the early going and after the game was tied 16-16 midway through the opening period, ART U went on a run. In the blink of an eye, the Urban Knights surged ahead with a 7-0 push highlighted by a deep 3-pointer from Rogers and as well as her block which resulted in a breakaway layup for senior guard Devin London.

Dominican, however, began to chip away at the Academy of Art lead. ART U delivered a steady dose of trips to the foul line which allowed them to maintain their advantage down the stretch, but DUC still threatened through rebounding and shots from distance. In fact, the final three made baskets by the Penguins were all 3-pointers including a triple by Taki Te Koi from the corner at the buzzer to bring Dominican within two, 33-31, at the break.

“I was disappointed in our rebounding and lack of fundamentals in the first half," Coach Larson said. "We weren't consistent throughout the game and rebounding is something you can always control. I thought we came back second half and did a much better job on the boards and really battled through a night where shots weren't falling for us. I liked our composure and decision-making down the stretc. That is something I think we have throughout the rest of the season.”

Much like the beginning of the game, sophomore forward Alisa Griggs started the second by powering her way to the hoop and converted a three-point play after being fouled. DUC, however, then used a 6-0 run to gain a one-point advantage. Then it was a head's up steal by Rogers who enabled Dale to score a layup on the other end, putting the Knights back in front.

ART U would fight to stay above Dominican from that point forward as each time Academy of Art strung together baskets, DUC would keep the game close with a key bucket. The Knights went up six, but the Penguins cut it to two. After freshman guard Vianai Austin and Dale combined to put ART U up seven, Dominican promptly came back to within two, 56-54. A clutch triple by the Penguins' Ariana Flynn would tie things 57-57 at 8:52.

From that deadlock, ART U surged ahead and never looked back. Austin broke the tie with a jumper before senior guard Lorraine Etchell bottomed a 3-pointer and Dale made a basket in transition off a feed from London. In a matter of three minutes, Academy of Art had turned a one-point game into a nine-point advantage, 72-61. During that stretch, London made a key play by taking a charge to force a Penguin turnover. In the end, the Knights converted five of six free throws to seal their 77-69 victory.

The ART U offense came from a variety of sources Tuesday night. Along with Dale's team-high of 16 points (7-for-12 from the field), Rogers had a complete game with 13 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, one block, and one steal.

“I thought Jordan came in and played a good all around game," Coach Larson said. "She took good shots, rebounded well and did a great job of distributing the ball and making good decisions.”

London finished with 12 points, seven rebounds, and four assists while Etchell and Griggs each had nine points apiece. Contributing offensively and on the boards, junior guard Nicol Biesek and junior center Juliua Fraser combined to score 13 points and take down 15 rebounds. Academy of Art improves to 14-6 overall and 10-2 in PacWest action.

Dominican's Te Koi scored a game-high 17 points (3-of-4 from long range) and grabbed eight rebounds. Off the bench, Flynn had 15 points with four 3-pointers made while Sarah Nelson contributed 12 points and eight rebounds. DUC falls to 3-18 overall, 2-9 in conference play.

Up next for Academy of Art is the final roadtrip of the season which takes the Urban Knights to St. George, UT for a rematch against Dixie State (Feb. 11) and then to Phoenix, AZ for its their first meeting with No. 16 Grand Canyon.