OAKLAND, Calif. – Controlling the game for essentially the first 38 minutes, Academy of Art women's basketball nearly upset Pacific West Conference Championship Tournament-bound Westmont before a pair of late triples shifted momentum for the Warriors to triumph 61-56 inside Laney College Gym on Saturday.

Long range makes from senior forward/center Christy Ojide Boiko and freshman guard Violet Stutz provided ART U an early six-point advantage though the score at the start of the second quarter was just 11-10 in the Urban Knights' favor.

Up by as many as eight after a 9-2 run bookended by 3-pointers from sophomore guard Maddie Morrow and junior guard Alba Rovira Ayuso, Academy of Art was nearly back to that margin on a triple by sophomore guard Lucia Revenga, but Westmont's transition score made it 30-25 at the break.

"We executed from the beginning on both offense and defense," said Senior Forward Yasmine Sifaoui. "Our main goal today was having a good start and show the intensity that we have. We started strong and maintained that intensity throughout the game against a tough opponent. I'm very proud of our performance today, regardless of the result."

Sifaoui had ART U's first five points of the third quarter, but the home team's lead never reached double figures with the Warriors continuing to battle back. The margin was whittled down to three less than a minute into the fourth frame yet the Knights refused to relinquish their lead, getting another timely 3-pointer from Rovira Ayuso at 52-47.

Seven straight helped Westmont tie things up at 52-52 before two Sifaoui layups, both assisted by redshirt freshman guard Karereatua Williams, forced a 56-54 difference with under two minutes to go. Consecutive triples from the Warriors, however, changed the outcome suddenly, allowing the visitors to walk away 61-56 victors in the end.

"Really pleased with our team today as we were playing on the front foot nearly the entire game," said Head Coach Jesse Clark. "Our team was very composed and prepared and we were able to execute our defensive tactics at a high level. Our lesson from today will be that every part of the defensive possession needs to be executed consistently until the final buzzer."

Sporting a 10-13 overall record and 3-12 PacWest record, ART U had three double-digit scorers with Rovira Ayuso (14 points), Revenga (13 points), and Sifaoui (13 points) making five field goals apiece. Rovira Ayuso connected on four triples, Revenga added five rebounds and four assists, and Sifaoui finished with a team-best eight rebounds.

"Today was a lesson on what type of sustained level it takes to be successful on a regular basis in this conference," Clark said. "We will be able to put into our memory bank some tangible evidence of our programs ability to play at a high level."

The win elevates Westmont to 16-8 on the year and 12-5 in conference play. Bailey Fong's game-high 16 points included three 3-pointers while Sage Kramer and Jazmyn Shipp each had 15 points in support.

Prior to its final homestand of the regular season, Academy of Art will face Dominican in a road rematch this Monday, Feb. 17 starting a 5:30 p.m. in San Rafael.