SAN RAFAEL, Calif. – It was raining both outside and inside the Conlan Recreation Center Saturday as a season-high 14 3-pointers powered the Academy of Art attack, but PacWest Conference rival Dominican was steady around the basket, ending the Urban Knights' win streak at eight games with the 96-82 victory. Junior guard Rodericka "Dreek" Ware scored 14 of her team-high 22 points in the first quarter with four triples, but over the course of 40 minutes, she was outdone by Sandra Ikeora who scored a program record 43 points for the Penguins.

"I think this was a game we can learn from," said head coach LaNay Larson. "It's good to face some adversity as it is part of the growing process, but unfortunate it has to end with a loss."

Though Dominican started out on a 10-3 run, ART U fought back with a 12-4 response including two triples by Ware. She added two more shortly thereafter giving her four within a four and a half minute span and her team a 21-15 advantage. A jumper by senior guard Alana Simon finished the opening frame and Academy of Art held a 23-19 lead.

Ware's 14 points were the third-most by an Urban Knight in a single quarter behind Sha'Nice Storey's 20 (Fresno Pacific, Dec. 12, 2015) and Jasmin Guinn's 16 (Cal State Monterey Bay, Nov. 27, 2015).

Dominican opened the second quarter with a 9-2 burst, but after Ware's fifth 3-pointer the score was tied 28-28. ART U soon built back a five-point lead yet could not expand it due primarily to the efforts of Ikeora. Junior guard Jazzlyn Brewster connected from deep in the final minute and a half, but Ikeora scored her ninth basket and 22nd point of the half to tie it up 45-45 at the break.
Three personal fouls to junior forward Helena Orts in the opening half also played a role as her fourth came just two minutes into the third quarter. Junior guard Hayley Pryor's 3-pointer still gave Academy of Art a 52-50 advantage with Orts on the bench, but the Penguins proceeded to execute a 7-0 run to take what would end up being a permanent lead.

"You have to give Dominican credit," said Larson. "They played hard and followed their game plan. Their defense plus Orts in foul trouble put us in a situation we haven't been in before. This team is still learning and we will continue to grow moving forward."

A Ware layup cut the margin to a single point at 57-56, however, Dominican continued to get production from Ikeora and expanded their lead from six at the start of the fourth to eventually 18 late in the final period. Another triple by Pryor kept the Penguins to a 69-66 difference with just under nine minutes to play, but the response was 10-1 by Dominican and eventually the 96-82 victory.

The first PacWest loss of the year drops Academy of Art to 4-1 in conference play and 8-5 overall. Ware finished with a team-high 22 points (6-for-10 from long range) and three steals while Simon added a season-high 17 points, three assists, two blocks, and two steals. Brewster posted 15 points with seven assists and three steals. Pryor rounded out the Knights scoring in double figures with 11 points. The Knights' 14 triples were the second-most in program history after 15 fell at Hawaii Pacific on Jan. 5, 2013.

Led by the aforementioned program record 43 points (19-for-29 from field) from Sandra Ikeora, Dominican improves to 7-7 overall and 3-4 in the PacWest.

"Offensively we played well enough to win the game and we kept ourselves right there with a good night from the perimeter," said Larson. "We have to play better defensively and sharpen up our rotations to be able to contain a great player like Ikeora."

ART U completes its stretch of four games in seven days this Tuesday, Jan. 10 with Chaminade in town. The Knights and Silverswords are set to tip off inside City College of San Francisco at 5:30 p.m.

"Tuesday will be a good chance for us to get our rhythm back," said Larson. "In conference you can't take any nights off and we know Chaminade always comes in and competes hard."