PacWest Release #15

Phoenix, AZ -- Major contributors in a 2-0 week for Academy of Art University Women's Basketball that included a 63-55 overtime victory against #13 Grand Canyon, seniors Ariel Dale and Katy Wade each earned a selection to the Pacific West Conference Weekly Fantastic 15. Dale stuffed the stat sheet in both victories while Wade led the conference in rebounding for the week. The honors were announced by the PacWest Media Office in Phoenix, AZ on Tuesday, Feb. 19 for games played Feb. 11 - 17.

Dale could be found rebounding the ball on the offensive glass and locking down defensively against a Grand Canyon team that represented the highest ranked opponent ART U has ever faced. She balanced her points evenly over the halves, but it was the career-high four blocks that made the biggest statement. As the Knights held a six-point advantage with 20 seconds left in overtime, Dale sent away a GCU layup to help preserve the 66-59 upset.

On Saturday, Dale again played a balanced game over two halves in a 66-59 victory versus Fresno Pacific. After scoring seven in the first, the senior went for 10 in the second and again crashed the offensive glass in a major way for her team. She finished with 17 points and nine rebounds. For the week, Dale averaged 15.0 points (11th in PWC), 8.0 rebounds (11th in PWC), 4.0 assists (5th in PWC), and 3.0 blocks per game (2nd in PWC).

“I feel like if I bring energy and keep myself up as well as my teammates by staying positive and being aggressive, our team seems to feed off of each other,” Dale said. “So I try to keep my energy up as high as I can even though we had a big game Thursday and the season has been long, I'm a senior so I only have a little bit to go and I'm trying to stay on top of it every game and just do what I can to help our team succeed.”

Against the Antelopes, Wade offered a defensive masterpiece. She not only grabbed 16 rebounds and registered three steals, but her five blocks provided an important boost each and every time. The final of that quintet came early on in the overtime period where Grand Canyon was held without a field goal made.

Wade was a beast on the boards once again in the Saturday matchup with Fresno Pacific. She secured 13 rebounds with six coming on the offensive glass alone. The Portland, OR native added seven points and two blocked shots to keep alive her streak of having at least one block in each game she has played for ART U this season.

This is Dale's sixth weekly selection of the season and the eighth in her career while it is Wade's fourth honor thus far in 2012-13.