SAN FRANCISCO – Saturday's highly-anticipated meeting of Academy of Art University women's basketball and No. 25 Azusa Pacific did not disappoint as both teams were tied after a hard-fought first half. Early in the second, the Cougars used a 16-0 run to gain a double-digit advantage and managed to outlast the Urban Knights 84-72 inside Kezar Pavilion. Four of five ART U starters scored in double figures led by senior guard
Jasmin Guinn's 19 points.
Academy of Art converted its first four baskets, all layups, to take a 9-4 lead early and it was senior center
Caron Brown who did much of the damage. After the teams exchanged the lead four times, APU closed the first quarter on a 7-2 run only to see that margin erased by two Brown layups minutes into the second quarter.
Like a heavyweight fight, the teams continued to deliver blows one after another with a 3-pointer by senior guard
Regina Camera giving the Knights a 36-34 lead only to see it tied seconds later. Into halftime, ART U had forced 11 turnovers yet only had scored six points off those Azusa Pacific miscues and the score was knotted 38-38 at the break.
Although the second half started with senior guard
Sha'Nice Storey converting a fastbreak layup off a Camera steal, the Cougars proceeded to score 16 unanswered points on a series of three-point plays and transition opportunities. Guinn finally stopped the visitors' scoring streak with a three-point play and the Knights had the lead down to single digits by the end of the quarter after Camera hit a jumper and senior guard
Zoie Sheng found her for a triple in the waning seconds.
Guinn and Camera worked in tandem for ART U at the start of the fourth quarter, repeatedly bringing their team to within seven points. Azusa Pacific, however, seemed to have a basket to answer each time and eventually a 10-3 run pushed the margin back into double digits. Though Academy of Art bettered the scoring output APU allowed on average coming in (60 points per game), it was the Cougars who prevailed 84-72.
The loss drops ART U to 15-6 overall and 10-1 in PacWest play on the year. Guinn paced the Knights with 19 points, six assists, and three steals while Camera added 16 points (including three 3-pointers). Brown scored all 13 of her season-high 13 points in the first half and she added a team-high eight rebounds. Storey finished with 10 points and Sheng had nine points, seven rebounds, and six assists. Sheng has made it now back-to-back seasons with 100+ assists.
No. 25 Azusa Pacific improved to 15-3 overall and 9-1 in conference play still behind Academy of Art. Hardeman posted 17 points and 16 rebounds to lead four Cougars scoring in double figures.
ART U continues its four-game homestand with its first-ever game against Concordia University Irvine on Wednesday, Jan. 27 at 5:30 p.m.
