Box Score
Photo Gallery (images by Hailey Archambault)

San Francisco, CA – For the second consecutive game, ART U Women's Basketball was forced to take a one-point loss as Dixie State bested the Urban Knights 53-52 Saturday evening inside Kezar Pavilion. The Red Storm pushed ahead in the second half, but Academy of Art kept it close and had another chance at the game-winner down by one with three seconds to go and the ball. It was not to be on this occasion, however as the Knights were unable to get a shot off and Dixie prevailed. Freshman Regina Camera had a team-high 13 points while senior Katy Wade grabbed the second-most rebounds in the program's single-game history.

A back-and-forth game from the very beginning, ART U and Dixie State fought through three ties in the first five minutes before the Red Storm went up by four thanks to a brief 5-0 run. A 3-pointer from Camera and a layup by senior Ariel Dale brought the Knights right back and, while both teams struggled offensively in the half, they also combined to shoot 22 free throws.

The Red Storm got up 17-12 on a pair made by Kaylah Miller, but they had serious problems from the foul line down the stretch in the period. Academy of Art battled back from still down five with three minutes to go starting with Camera's second triple and, after a late foul, freshman Zoie Sheng put two free throws in to tie it 22-22 at the break.

“The fact that we shot 16 percent in the half and we were still able to go into halftime tied says a lot for our defensive effort," head coach LaNay Larson said. "As far as the game goes, I thought our defensive plan was executed really well and we took a lot of things away that they did well, but we were just unable to convert on the offensive end.”

In the second half, ART U managed to push ahead 30-26 after an energizing three-point play from Sheng in transition. A 7-0 Dixie State run, however, put them back ahead and that would eventually become a 15-5 surge thanks to 3-pointers from Kirsten Marie Liana and Miller. The margin never exceeded six points though because tough Knights defense then forced five consecutive misses from the Red Storm.

Senior Jordan Rogers got a bucket in transition and senior Katy Wade added a jumper in the paint off a feed from Sheng to make it just 47-45 Dixie with 5:40 to go. Wade used her length throughout the contest to secure possessions for her team and contest shots, all of which she did in the final 2:15. After blocking Chanel Maxey's attempt she helped fuel a fastbreak jumper by Sheng.

Dale then executed a critical three-point play to make it a two-point game, 52-50, with 1:13 left. Following a split at the free throw line for Dixie, Wade grabbed the rebound and then Sheng was fouled intentionally with five seconds to go and the Red Storm up by three. Sheng converted both and, though the visitors called a timeout, Johnna Brown lost the ball in the backcourt and collided with the bench trying to make the save.

With possession and three seconds left, ART U had two chances to nearly get a shot off, but were unable and Dixie State came away with the 53-52 victory.

“We've been in every different kind of situation possible at the end of games; we've fallen behind, we've had a lead and so basically we're just trying to eliminate those mistakes that are really hurting us in those last couple of possessions," Coach Larson said. "I thought our defense did a good job locking down especially in that last possession, but we couldn't convert on offense. We had plenty of good looks and missed a lot of shots in the paint and that's something we continue to work on.”

Academy of Art, 14-8 overall and 7-5 in PacWest play, had many of its Urban Knights contribute in a variety of ways. Camera had the team-high in points (13) and Wade was a beast on the boards, finishing with 18 rebounds (just five shy of the school record set by Alisa Griggs last year). Dale stuffed the stat sheet with eight points, six rebounds, six assists, and six steals while Sheng was a perfect 7-of-7 from the foul line and offered 11 points.

Moving up from their tie with ART U in the PacWest standings, Dixie State now sports a 10-10 overall record while going 8-4 in conference play thus far. The Red Storm had a game-high 15 points and eight rebounds off the bench from Mandy Munns to go with 14 points and seven rebounds for Brown.

The Urban Knights will host the only ranked team in the PacWest Conference on Thursday, Feb. 14 when Grand Canyon enters the Bay Area. ART U and GCU face off at College of San Mateo at 5:30 PM.

“We've got to bounce back from this game and Thursday's game becomes extremely important. It's almost a must-win for us at this point," Coach Larson said. "We're more than capable of beating any team in the conference. Our defense keeps us in games and our offense has yet to really click as of late. So if we start hitting shots, we're a really scary team, but we've just got to come out with confidence, shoot the ball, and execute offensively.”