HONOLULU – Looking simply at the final score, Saturday's 82-59 Pacific West Conference victory for Academy of Art women's basketball over Hawaii Pacific may have seemed ordinary on the outside, but inside the program and junior guard Chanel Stuart's heart it was an unforgettable, historic moment.

She erupted for 19 points with five 3-pointers in the first quarter and continued to feast offensively inside The Shark Tank, going on to break multiple ART U records with the most points scored (42) and most 3-pointers (10) ever by an Urban Knight. Her 10 triples also tied the PacWest record set four years ago.

"When I saw the 10th [3-pointer] go in and I knew that I had broke the record, it felt like a sense of relief that I had finally done it after going for it the last two years," Stuart said. "But it was also motivation to see if I could raise that bar even higher."

An ominous start to the game saw Stuart knock down a pair of triples in the first two minutes as the Urban Knights jumped out to a 13-2 lead with junior guard/forward Ladun Akako firing up the squad a three-point play of her own. Free throws from freshman guard Milan Tuttle and freshman forward/center Christy Ojide then gave way to Stuart's third 3-pointer for a 20-5 advantage. After Stuart converted a quartet of shots at the foul line (helping ART U go 12-of-13 in the quarter), she nailed two more triples in the final 35 seconds to give her team a 33-7 cushion.

"Once I felt my defensive intensity matching my offense to start the game off, that was when it sort of clicked for me and I was just in a zone after that," Stuart said. "My teammates just kept setting me up to get good looks. I wouldn't have done it without them."

Tough ART U defense held HPU to just 7.1 percent shooting from the field (1-of-14) and tied the fifth-fewest point total (7) by the Knights since the quarter format began in 2015-16. It was second to the six points Academy of Art allowed to Concordia in the opening quarter on Dec. 9.

"We were disappointed in our defensive intensity at Hilo so this game we were determined to get back to basic hard-nosed defense," said Head Coach Krystle Evans. "Every player committed to being aggressive on both sides of the ball and it paid off for us in the first quarter."

A 7-1 push helped the Sharks close the gap to 20 points at 34-14, but baskets by freshman guard Brooke Rodgers and junior guard Lauryn Manns reestablished control. Stuart hit her sixth triple approaching the final minute before a 6-0 HPU run, which included halfcourt buzzer-beater, made the ART U lead 43-21 at the break.

The intermission did not slow down Stuart as she connected twice from downtown during a 30-second span in the early stages of the third quarter before her ninth 3-pointer dropped with six minutes and 11 seconds on the clock, putting the Knights up 57-26. Her 31 points to that time established a new career-high and were greater than Hawaii Pacific's collective team score. To their credit, the Sharks proceeded to use a 10-0 run to get back into it, but Stuart found success at the free throw line and in the paint to finish the frame with 35 as her team led 64-40.

Logging its third win in its last four games, ART U rises to 8-6 overall and 5-2 in PacWest play. Stuart's 42 points broke the previous record (39) set by Tayler Bennett on Jan. 2, 2020 and the 10 triples bettered the pair of Bennett (same game) and Josselyn Morris (Dec. 31, 2019) who had previously held the top spot with nine apiece. It was the most points scored by any PacWest student-athlete (women or men's basketball included) thus far this season and ranked seventh in conference women's basketball history. Stuart, whose previous career-high had been 30 points on Mar. 2, 2019 finished 13-of-23 shooting from the field (second-most field goals made in ART U history) and 6-of-7 from the foul line with three rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block.

"Chanel is the first player I ever recruited to Academy of Art," Evans said. "Coming out of high school, we were her only offer. This young lady has put in countless hours in the gym with her father, to see her break Tayler Bennett and Josselyn Morris' record for most 3-pointers in a single game and score 42 points against a team that has historically dominated us, has given me chills. Chanel is an example for young student-athletes in terms of trusting the process and continuing to work hard every day and every rep. I'm so proud of her and happy for her."

Supporting Stuart's historic effort, Rodgers collected her first double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds plus five steals while Tuttle delivered season-highs of 10 points, two 3-pointers, six rebounds, and two blocks. Freshman guard Alyssa Munn's eight assists were a career-high and her seven rebounds served as a season-best. Akako achieved her season-high in the rebounding category with seven boards.

Dropping to 4-8 overall and 1-4 in conference action, Hawaii Pacific was led by Avery Cargill's 19 points which included an 11-of-12 effort from the foul line.

The Urban Knights will finish their Hawaii roadtrip this Monday, Jan. 17 with a 5:30 p.m. HT (7:30 p.m. PT) tipoff inside McCabe Gymnasium against Chaminade.

"Going into our game against Chaminade, I'm looking for us to maintain an aggressive mentality, move the ball offensively, and stay committed to our identity as a team," Evans said.