BELMONT, Calif. – In a rematch of two teams battling for spots in the Pacific West Conference Championship Tournament, Academy of Art University women's basketball and Notre Dame de Namur needed not one but two overtime periods to settle the score Monday evening inside Walter Gleason Gym. A career performance on both ends of the court from freshman guard Karleigh Joseph, including a game-saving block at the end of the first overtime, junior forward Helena Orts' 25 points and 16 rebounds, plus the fifth-most rebounds in program history were not enough as the Argonauts went on a 17-7 run in the second overtime to win 92-82.

Suiting up eight players, ART U faced a challenging situation from tip off, but faced it head on as six of those eight scored in the opening period. After trailing by three, Joseph erased the deficit with her first of what would be four 3-pointers and, by the end of the first, the teams were tied already for the fourth time, 14-14.

A layup and a 3-pointer by senior guard Alana Simon book-ended a 10-0 run midway through the second quarter to put the Urban Knights up 28-19 and that advantage would reach double figures briefly following back-to-back layups by Orts. A layup by senior forward Priscilla Mora came at the end of the half to make it a seven-point lead for ART U, 36-29, at the break.

Joseph and Orts combined to score all but two of the team's 13 points in the third quarter where the Academy of Art margin ranged between eight and three points throughout. Joseph did assist junior guard Jazzlynn Brewster's jumper with 15 seconds left, but the Argonauts had one final score to cut the difference to 49-44 moving into the fourth.

There, NDNU opened on a 13-5 run which not only tied the game, but even got the home team a three-point lead at 57-54. Junior guard Hayley Pryor answered back not more than 20 seconds later to retie the game and soon two layups by Orts helped ART U reestablish its advantage. The teams briefly traded baskets before another Orts conversion at the rim put the Knights ahead 67-66 with one minute left. A foul and free throws split by the Argos led to a tie score and, after an Academy of Art turnover, Megan Cresnshaw nearly won the game at the buzzer for NDNU, but her layup rolled off the iron.

Early in the first overtime, Joseph demonstrated her versatility with a block on Marissa Caballero and then hit a 3-pointer on the ensuing Knights possession. Two baskets and two free throws pushed the Argos back on top 75-72 with under a minute left, but Joseph once again played heroine, knocking down a triple to tie then blocking Caballero's potential game-winning layup with one second left. The 75-75 score carried into a second overtime.

Although Mora converted a layup just over a minute into the second extra period, it was ART U's only basket during a 12-2 run by NDNU to start. The Knights were not without opportunities, but with the Argos making 9-of-10 free throws in the final minute, the win was sealed and came in the form of a 92-82 end result.

Academy of Art switches positions with NDNU in the PacWest standings after moving to 8-6 in conference play and 12-10 overall. The team's 65 rebounds were the fifth-most in program history and heavily aided by career-highs from Orts (16), Mora (16), and Joseph.

"I thought our effort on the boards was much better tonight," said head coach LaNay Larson. "I was really proud of the way Helena, Priscilla, and Karleigh played and how hard they crashed."

Orts turned in her 11th double-double of the season, going for 25 points with her 16 rebounds. Mora added a season-high eight points with her effort on the boards. And Joseph delivered career-highs in five stat categories, scoring 22 points on four 3-pointers made with 11 rebounds, five assists, and four blocks.

"Karleigh didn't just take a step forward, it was more like a leap," said Larson. "She has never played the point guard in her life yet due to a short bench and foul trouble she was forced to not only play a position that is completely foreign, but to lead a team through crucial times and possessions. If she plays with that poise and confidence moving forward the sky is the limit for her."

Now fifth in the standings, Notre Dame de Namur is 9-6 in the PacWest and 11-11 on the year. Aubrey Mendonca's 24 points led five Argos in double figures scoring including Emily Tevez who posted a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

The Knights set out on their final roadtrip of the regular season this weekend with three games in Hawaii. ART U opens with Chaminade in Honolulu on Saturday, Feb. 11 then heads to Hawaii Pacific on Monday, Feb. 13, and finishes at BYU-Hawaii on Wednesday, Feb. 15.

"The Hawaii trip is not an easy one to make and we know we have three very challenging games," said Larson. "We have to play more disciplined on the defensive end and keep people on the floor in order to be successful and give ourselves the chance to be playing in March."