SAN FRANCISCO – Academy of Art women's basketball shot 60 percent from field in the second half en route to 92 total points, but SF State still managed to come away with the 102-92 victory inside the Gators' Main Gymnasium on Sunday afternoon. Although multiple comebacks got the Urban Knights to within a single point with just under four minutes left, SFSU closed the game with one final 11-2 push.

After starting the game on a 9-1 run and building a 20-6 lead, SF State was hit initially by successive 3-pointers from senior guard Inga Kot and freshman guard Chanel Stuart. Three free throws and a jumper by Kot then came in the final two minutes as the margin was nine points at the conclusion of the first quarter.

With the unit that started the second, junior guard Brianna Cates made a major impact, draining back-to-back triples to answer those of the Gators. Cates would convert four free throws as ART U continued to battle and soon multiple baskets by sophomore forward Megan Jefferson had the SFSU lead down to eight at 45-37. A 6-2 push closed the opening half with junior guard Josselyn Morris' layup finishing the run as SF State headed to the locker room ahead 50-43.

The lead moved back to double digits midway through the third, dropped to seven at 63-56 following a Morris three-point play, but shifted back up to 15 by the three-minute mark. Academy of Art ended the quarter on a 7-2 run as Stuart's defense was on display in the final minute. The freshman first scored off a steal then registered her third block and nailed a 3-pointer seconds later, cutting the margin to 83-75 heading to the fourth.

"We have scorers on our team and we want to put them in position to produce any way they can," said head coach Camille Williams. "In this particular game, it was about the offensive flow and, coming out of halftime, our players could see the gaps necessary to get their shots off. They found their rhythm in the right sports and at the right time."

An 8-2 surge that featured triples by Stuart and Morris was book-ended by 3-pointers from the Gators and the teams looked at a six-point ballgame (89-83) with just under eight minutes to go. Morris knocked down her fourth shot from distance and Cates added a high-percentage jumper to cut the deficit to a single point. The Knights found themselves one point behind once more with 3:44 on the clock, then following a SFSU layup and jumper, Morris scored on a steal and it was 95-92 SF State with 1:42 left. A game-shifting triple then fell for the Gators and they added a layup plus free throws for the 102-92 final.

Academy of Art drops to 1-2 overall, but shot a season-best 50.8 percent from the field and had three players score more than 20 points led by 22 apiece for Stuart and Cates. Stuart stuffed the stat sheet with eight rebounds, four blocks, two steals, and two assists while Cates added five rebounds and four assists. Morris posted season-high 21 points with a 4-for-7 day from long range and Kot added a career-high 14 points. The 92 points serve as the highest scoring performance from the Urban Knights since a 96-73 victory over Dominican on Jan. 27, 2018.

"Bree has proven to be someone who can produce instantly on the court for us," said Williams. "In this situation, we were very fortunate that she could create regardless of her role. Chanel continues to grow every single game. What we appreciate about Chanel is that she is willing to fill in the gaps with whatever our team needs."

Winning its first game of the season, SF State rises to 1-4 overall thanks in large part to a 13-for-24 effort shooting from distance. Six Gators scored in double figures with Isabella Lamonea's 19 points (5-for-8 from three-point range) pacing the squad.

The Urban Knights will play their first Pacific West Conference games of the season next week, hosting Point Loma on Thursday, Nov. 29 and Concordia on Saturday, Dec. 1.

"These teams are very tough and we can't take anyone for granted," said Williams. "At this point, it's like starting a new season because everyone's conference records are 0-0. We need to go in with the same mindset of out-working our opponents, improving every game, and staying healthy."