Box Score

Photo Gallery (images by Rico Del Sesto)

Las Vegas, NV – In a back-and-forth game of runs, Cal State Dominguez Hills wound up having the last laugh thanks to a late 11-0 burst which led to their 69-53 victory over Academy of Art University on Wednesday afternoon to  finish up the Las Vegas Challenge inside Orleans Arena.

Though the Toros opened the game by establishing an 11-4 lead, ART U responded with a 9-0 run to get back into the game. Zoie Sheng got the Knights started with a triple then promptly set up Madeline Martin for a jumper. Fresh off her career game, Aleigh Krug made an instant impact off the bench with a basket and a block, ultimately helping Academy of Art to tie the game at 15-15 midway through.

A 9-2 run by Cal State Dominguez Hills followed as Talia Rayford and Monay Lee began to heat up. Soon, a triple from Amber Wharton made it 28-21, but the Knights were relentless in another 9-0 burst to grab a two-point lead following Sha'Nice Storey's 3-pointer, Regina Camera's jumper, and contributions from Alisa Griggs and Zoie Sheng.

The Knights' 30-28 advantage was short-lived, however, because CSUDH closed out the half with an 8-0 push that resulted in a 36-32 halftime score favoring the Toros. The run became 12-0 before ART U began to connect from long range. Martin hit Camera for a triple, then Sheng tossed one in to bring Academy of Art within three, 41-38, with much of the half left to play.

"We lost Jasmin [Guinn] and Molly [O'Brien] early in the first half which left our rotation pretty short," head coach LaNay Larson said. "We have to be better at overcoming situations like that and playing through them."

A close game would then turn into a double-digit margin for the Toros who surged ahead with an 11-0 run, keyed by seven points from CSUDH's leading scorer Tayler Champion. The Knights finally broke out of a seven-minute scoring drought on Krug's jumper and began to show signs of life when Molly O'Brien had her first basket of the game after early foul trouble. However, Cal State Dominguez Hills would preserve its double-digit advantage the rest of the way en route to its 53-69 victory.

"We had good stretches defensively in the second half where we turned them over multiple times in a row but couldn't convert," Coach Larson said. "A lot of shots we normally hit didn't fall unfortunately, but we have to be able to battle through and not lose confidence offensively."

ART U drops to 6-5 with the loss though still remains a perfect 3-0 in conference play. Krug led the way offensively with 12 points complemented by six rebounds and four blocks off the bench. Camera added the first double-double of her collegiate career with 11 points and 10 rebounds while Sheng finished as the third Urban Knight scoring in double figures with 10 points.

Cal State Dominguez Hills improves to 6-2 with the victory led by Champion's 22 points and 16 rebounds. She was supported by Rayford's 15-point, 13-rebound double-double off the bench as well as 13 points and seven rebounds from Lee.

Academy of Art next resumes Pacific West Conference play this Saturday, Dec. 21 in Riverside at California Baptist. The Knights defeated the Lancers 74-66 earlier this season on Dec. 3.