PacWest Release
Phoenix, AZ -- Junior forward
Ariel Dale and sophomore forward
Alisa Griggs were both representatives of the Academy of Art University women's basketball team in the most recent release of the Pacific West Conference Weekly Top 10 Honor Roll. Both Urban Knights have made major contributions to the team's success not only during its current 5-0 win streak, but also throughout the year. The honors were announced by the PacWest Media Office in Phoenix, AZ on Monday, Jan. 23 for games played Jan. 16-22.
The week began with a dramatic 81-78 overtime victory at Hawaii Pacific on Jan. 16 in which Dale was an absolute beast on the boards. She grabbed 15 rebounds in addition to scoring 15 points off the bench. The 15 rebounds ranks fourth in Urban Knight program history for a single game. Subbing in three minutes into the first half, Dale made an immediate impact finding Griggs for a layup and the Los Angeles, CA native would go on to score eight points in the half en route to ART U's 11-point halftime advantage. Dale also hit two key free throws early in overtime to put the Academy of Art ahead.
Then, against BYU-Hawaii on Jan. 21, the junior forward showed off her defense with eight steals to tie the program record set by senior guard
Devin London earlier this year in addition to scoring a season-high 19 points and pulling seven rebounds. Dale brought the offensive punch in the first half and trumped that with arguably her best half in an ART U uniform when she scored 11, dished out three assists, and racked up six steals in the second.
Dale was stellar off the bench for the week, averaging 17.0 points and 11.0 rebounds per game. In the PacWest, she ranked sixth in scoring and was tied for fourth in rebounding through the week. The junior forward was 13-for-28 (46.4%) from the floor and converted 8 of her 11 foul shots (72.7%). Driven to the top by the eight-steal game, Dale led the PacWest in steals per game (4.5) for the week.
One of the most consistent Urban Knights thus far, Griggs posted double-doubles of 16 points and 10 rebounds in both of ART U's victories this past week. She began with an efficient first half versus HPU on Jan. 16 in which she scored 10 points on 3-for-4 shooting from the field and secured five rebounds. Along with Dale, Griggs was a big reason why Academy of Art earned an impressive 57-43 rebounding advantage. The Milwaukie, OR native also scored the first ART U points in overtime and fought for the final rebound after the Sea Warriors missed a potentially game-winning layup.
Five days later on Jan. 21, Griggs worked hard yet again to put the Knights ahead early. Six of her 10 rebounds came in the opening period and she would add 10 of her 16 points in the second half as Academy of Art poured it on against BYU-Hawaii. Griggs was instrumental during a 23-6 first half run by ART U to create the separation they needed for the 92-51 victory.
Griggs averaged a double-double in the form of 16.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game during the Knights' 2-0 week. Within the PacWest, she was tied for seventh in scoring and ranked sixth in rebounding over the course of the week. The sophomore forward shot a sparkling 57.9% (11-for-19) from the floor and made 10-of-14 (71.4%) free throws.
This is the first PacWest Weekly Honor for Dale in her career and the sixth of the season for Griggs. Griggs has seven of the honors over her two-year career.
