The 2012-13 season for Academy of Art University will be forever remembered as a milestone in this program's history. With victories over ranked opponents, a nine-game win streak culminating in a Pacific West Conference Tournament Championship, and a trip to the NCAA Tournament in ART U's first eligible year, the winningest campaign since the program began back in 2008 was something second-year head coach LaNay Larson and her band of Urban Knights believed achievable from day one.

“I was happy with the progress we made in 2012-2013,” Coach Larson said. “Our goals at the beginning of the year might have seemed lofty to some but I know our staff and players believed in the talented group we had assembled. We went through a lot of growing pains with a very young and inexperienced roster, but I was very happy with the way we finished the season.”

ART U stormed out of the gate by not only winning its first four games, but never trailing in for an incredible 170-minute stretch to start the year. The team debuted its stifling brand of full-court defense (#1 in the country in turnover margin by the year's end) in an 86-65 victory over Humboldt State for the Nov. 9 season opener then followed with a 59-56 triumph at Cal State East Bay to win the CCAA/PacWest Challenge.

Academy of Art was strong at home as well, routing Alaska Fairbanks 91-71 on Nov. 16 thanks to a 56-point first half that set a new program record. After moving to 4-0 with a 72-62 victory over Nebraska-Kearney two days later, the Knights ran into their first obstacle in Northwest Nazarene as part of the Fairfield Inn Classic on Nov. 23. The Crusaders dealt ART U its first loss of the season, 66-62, but Academy of Art bounced back by putting away Central Washington 73-64 the next day.

A resounding 95-56 win at Notre Dame de Namur on Dec. 1 marked the beginning to what would be a historic PacWest Conference run by the Knights. Though Cal State Monterey Bay got the better of Academy of Art 79-63 on Dec. 5, ART U remained undefeated at home with a 94-89 fast break-friendly final versus Holy Names that saw a program record of 27 steals before an 81-53 domination of Western Oregon.

Finishing up the calendar year with two important games against women's basketball powerhouses in the Las Vegas Challenge, the Urban Knights made a major statement when they pulled off an 82-73 upset victory over then-ranked #17 Pitt State. Freshman Regina Camera went for a career-high 23 points in a game where ART U got ahead by 12 at halftime and literally kept the pressure on as they scored 24 points off turnovers. Having spent an incredible amount of energy in the win, Academy of Art was outlasted by Central Missouri 92-80 the following afternoon thanks to the Jennies' impressive shooting from distance.

“We started the year out strong, playing with a lot of confidence,” Coach Larson said. “I think with such a new roster a lot of teams might have been a little shocked not knowing what to expect, but I think we quickly earned respect. With the win against a nationally ranked Pitt State team, who had a great nucleus returning from a team that had advanced to the Elite Eight in 2012, we then started to earn respect on a national level.”

Following an extended break over the winter holiday break, the Urban Knights rung in the new year with three victories in Hawaii, all of which saw new program records. On Jan. 5 against Hawaii Pacific, ART U set a new single-game record for 3-pointers made, knocking 15 in total with six from senior Jordan Rogers alone en route to the 85-68 final. Academy of Art followed that up with the team's new single-game assists record at BYU-Hawaii as 28 passes led to baskets (a team-high seven from sophomore Madeline Martin) in an 85-80 win. Finally, matching up with Chaminade on Jan. 9, freshman Sha'Nice Storey exploded for the new program single-game scoring record, lighting up the Silverswords with eight 3-pointers made to secure the 91-49 end result. The sweep of the Knights' Hawaiian opponents elevated Coach Larson to a perfect 7-0 on the islands.

Academy of Art then returned home for a three-game homestand which began in heart-breaking fashion with both UH Hilo and Hawaii Pacific stealing victories on opportunities in the final seconds. The Vulcans won 60-57 thanks to a buzzer-beating 3-pointer on Jan. 19 then the Sea Warriors edged ART U 72-71 after a cross-court pass to a layup with three seconds left. The Knights would close their homestand with a convincing 78-45 win over Chaminade and started their Southern California roadtrip by defeating new PacWest opponent Point Loma 74-71.

However, the team's most difficult stretch followed as California Baptist, Azusa Pacific, and Dixie State all topped Academy of Art, comprising just the second time in Coach Larson's tenure that three consecutive losses ever occurred. ART U fought back against a halftime deficit against the Lancers, but time ran out on their comeback in the 85-68 final. In Azusa on Feb. 4, the Knights see-sawed from being down to up to tied in the final minute and wound up falling 74-73. Academy of Art had its second chance in as many games to score the game-winner, but the Red Storm would prevail on Feb. 9 by another one-point margin, 53-52.

“I feel like the stretch we went through with all the heartbreaking losses really got us to the point where we were ready to compete at a championship level,” Coach Larson said. “We had some really tough film sessions of those losses in the final possessions and had to let it sting before we were really ready to take accountability as a team and learn from the mistakes that cost us those games.”

In a pivotal game that ended up spring boarding the Urban Knights into a nine-game win streak through the postseason, ART U hosted #13 Grand Canyon on Feb. 14. Truly stellar defense and key decision-making helped Academy of Art push the Antelopes into overtime tied 49-49. The Knights simply dominated the extra period, outscoring the highest ranked opponent they had ever faced 14-6 while denying GCU a single made field goal in OT. An inspired team effort led ART U to its 63-55 win and provided an important bounce-back game after the close losses.

“The Grand Canyon game helped the girls regain the confidence they had earlier in the year and it really propelled us through the end of the season,” Coach Larson said. “This team was so new to each other that we had to go through some growing pains to find out who we were and come together to complete that incredible run to the championship.”

After achieving that win, Academy of Art was ready to roll. The Knights won three more games at home, grinding out a 66-59 result over Fresno Pacific, pushing past Dominican 72-61, and capping off Senior Day with a 63-point margin of victory (largest in program history), 91-34, over NDNU on Feb. 23. After senior Ariel Dale combined her scoring career-high (21 points) with a hard-earned double-double from junior Alisa Griggs in an 86-72 win at Holy Names, the Knights' regular season finale was a 78-66 victory at Dominican on Mar. 2.

Academy of Art then entered its first postseason in program history, set to potentially face three opponents in three days at the inaugural PacWest Conference Championship Tournament back in Azusa, CA. ART U started with a convincing 77-50 opening-round victory over BYU-Hawaii on Mar. 7 thanks to 28 points off turnovers. Then, in what was more than simply a rematch against Grand Canyon in the second round, the Urban Knights vanquished the 'Lopes 60-58 in overtime. Dale nearly scored the game-winning 3-pointer in the final seconds of regulation, but a key triple from Rogers in OT led to a large contingent of shocked GCU supporters who had made the trip.

Finally, mere hours after ART U Women's Track & Field earned a NCAA Division II National Championship, women's basketball was crowned champions of the PacWest Conference Championship Tournament with a 75-49 come-from-behind victory over top-seeded Hawaii Pacific. The Urban Knights scored 49 points in the second half and made their dream a reality by taking home the title.

“In my opinion, that championship will always be special to this program, not only because it is our first but because of the odds and obstacles that were overcome to achieve it,” Coach Larson said. “I don't think anyone had picked Academy of Art to win the inaugural PacWest Tournament Championship, but I had a team that was extremely intent on accomplishing those early season goals and they proved to be resilient.”

Making its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament, ART U Women's Basketball saw a historic run come to an unfortunate close in Bellingham, Washington where #5-ranked Western Washington topped the Knighs 70-50. Academy of Art gave the Vikings a run for their money by taking a 27-24 lead at halftime, but WWU went on a run to recapture the advantage and later made it to the Final Four where they fell to eventual NCAA DII Champion Ashland. Regardless of the end result, the 2012-13 season featured the most wins in program history (23) and a PacWest Conference Tournament Championship.

ART U thrived on its aggressive defense and the contributions from different Urban Knights every night. Closing out their careers in style, it was the five-part senior class of Nicol Biesek, Jordan Rogers, Ariel Dale, Katy Wade, and Juliua Fraser who willed the team to many of its victories. Rogers (Second Team), Dale (Third Team), and Wade (Honorable Mention) were rewarded with postseason All-PacWest honors, but it all five seniors found ways to leave a lasting impression in this unforgettable year.

“I felt like the senior class really laid the foundation for this program and definitely cemented themselves in history with our first conference championship,” Coach Larson said. “They each played different roles throughout the season, but what they contributed individually was absolutely integral to the success of our program.”

Rogers, the PacWest Conference Tournament MVP, was the team's leading scorer (13.4 points per game) and added one of the top free throw percentages in the PacWest. Dale, an extremely versatile athlete and PacWest Conference Tournament Team, led the conference in steals (3.0 steals per game) while serving as the PacWest's ninth best assistor (3.3 assists per game), 14th best scorer (12.2 ppg) and rebounder (7.0 rpg). Wade was a force inside unlike any in ART U's five-year history as she set new single-season records in both rebounding (308) blocked shots (76) while ranking among the nation's Top 50 in each.

On the other side of the spectrum, freshmen Regina Camera, Jasmin Guinn, Zoie Sheng, and Sha'Nice Storey proved they were more than capable of carrying the torch for years to come. Camera, who was the only freshman to earn PacWest Conference Tournament Team honors, finished the season averaging 10.1 points (second-most by any freshman in program history) and played some of her best basketball when it counted down the stretch. Guinn flashed her blazing speed and determination rebounding the basketball on many occasions as one of the team's top producers off the bench. Finally, the St. Mary's Academy tandem of Sheng and Storey brought a vital poise and scoring threat that the squad leaned on in all 32 games.

“The underclassmen came in and really raised the level of this program with their confidence and competitiveness,” Coach Larson said. “They were a great compliment to a really strong senior class. I am excited to see them flourish and improve upon already successful starts to their career.”

Having set the bar extremely high with their amazing 2012-13 campaign, Academy of Art University Women's Basketball now looks ahead to 2013-14 as an opportunity to repeat as PacWest Champions and delve further into uncharted territory in the postseason. Armed with dynamic new talent and a core hungry for the taste of a championship once again, Coach Larson remains focused on taking that next step.


“The sky is the limit with the future of this program,” Coach Larson said. “We have a great nucleus returning that gained a ton of experience this past season after advancing to the NCAA tournament. On top of that, we have some unbelievable new talent that will be suiting up for us in 2013-2014 and should take us to another level. We now know what it takes to compete with the best and will enter next year not as the underdog or surprise team on the West Coast, but as a team that will be expected to compete for championships. Playing with that kind of pressure and those expectations is what I wanted when I came here and I know we have put together a team that strives for the same thing. While we were excited and proud of this past season, it is only the beginning of our journey. This is not a team that will be satisfied until we take that next step.”