Box Score

Photo Gallery (images by Austin McKeon & Tylar Springer)

San Francisco, CA – Fresh off its historic Hawaiian sweep, Urban Knights women's basketball kept its momentum going inside Kezar Pavilion on Saturday evening, defeating BYU-Hawaii 92-51. For the third consecutive game, four different Academy of Art University players scored in double figures as ART U won its fifth consecutive game (the first time in program history for a single season). Junior forward Ariel Dale had another career night with a game-high 19 points and eight steals which tied the program's single-game record set earlier this year by senior guard Devin London. Sophomore forward Alisa Griggs added her sixth double-double of the year (16 points, 10 rebounds).

“We talked all week about putting teams away and winning big,” head coach LaNay Larson said. “I feel like we have proved we can win close games, but had yet to dominate a game and that was the next step for us. I feel like we did that on both ends. We tightened up our defense and that always gives us confidence on offense.”

On fire from distance to start the contest, the Urban Knights had a pair of 3-pointers knocked down by junior guard Jordan Rogers. The Seasiders fought back to make it a one-point game on multiple occasions, but they never took a lead in the contest as ART U put together a short 6-0 burst all sparked by bench points (Academy of Art trounced BYUH 41-10 in that category for the game). Dale put in a jumper, junior center Juliua Fraser made a layup after an offensive rebound, and freshman guard Vianai Austin completed the run with a breakaway layup after Rogers had the steal.

With the starters back in, the Knights extended the run to become 23-6 after five quick points by London and Griggs stayed hot with two more baskets in that span. The success of ART U's bench would also continue as freshman center Alexandria Coleman scored a layup off a pass from senior guard Lorraine Etchell to make it 38-20 Academy of Art. The Knights would not stop there, however, because another Griggs layup and a jumper by Austin ballooned the lead to 22.

At halftime, eight of nine Urban Knights to get into the game had scored and ART U led 42-23. Early in the second period, BYU-Hawaii used an 8-0 run to come as close as 14 points, but that work was abruptly erased when Dale came back in and hit a jumper. That basket would initiate a 10-0 surge by Academy of Art in which the home team shared the basketball, getting several Knights involved in the offense.

Soon the margin had been pushed to 30 points, 68-38 at the 10:11 mark, but ART U was still not finished. An incredible 14-2 burst flowed forth with Etchell and Austin converting at the foul line, London taking advantage of a Dale steal, and more points in transition for Academy of Art. With the third highest point total for a single game on this occasion, the Urban Knights prevailed 92-51 at the end of the night.

“As a team, we are playing with a lot of confidence right now and I like where we are,” Coach Larson said. “The girls know there is a huge goal within our reach and we are taking it one game at a time.”

Saturday marked the third consecutive game in which four ART U players reached double figures in scoring. Dale posted a game-high 19 points along with eight steals to tie the program record, seven rebounds, and three assists. Griggs finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds for her second double-double in the past two games. Rogers had 13 points, six rebounds, and five assists while Austin came off the bench to contribute 12 points and five rebounds. For an Academy of Art team which offered 23 assists, three Urban Knights had five apiece including Rogers, London, and Etchell.  ART U was third in the PacWest to start the evening and now improves to 10-6 overall, 6-2 in conference.

“I love the balance across the board and the 23 assists shows how unselfish this team is,” Coach Larson said. “Ariel had another huge game. She has great energy and hands on the defensive end and has been that spark coming off the bench. Alisa has been so solid all year and another double-double for her is great. She works so hard on every possession.”

Shayla Washington, BYU-Hawaii's leading scorer who dropped 39 against Notre Dame de Namur just two days ago, was held to just 10 points on 2-for-11 shooting along with 11 rebounds. Instead, the high scorer for the Seasiders was Dana Lynn Hooper who had 18 points including a 4-of-7 performance from beyond the arc. BYUH falls to 2-13, 1-6 in the PacWest.

ART U faces Chaminade in a PacWest rematch this Monday, Jan. 23 back inside Kezar Pavilion at 5:00 PM. If you are an Academy of Art University student, be sure to sign up for the fan bus at Fan Bus Central: http://bit.ly/eC8mrO