ANAHEIM, Calif. – Academy of Art University women's basketball and New York Institute of Technology were close throughout on Friday inside the Anaheim Convention Center, but an 8-0 Bears run bridging the third and fourth quarters ended up being the difference despite a late ART U comeback attempt. NYIT went on to win 92-87 for the Urban Knights' opener of three games in the CCA Division II Tipoff Classic this weekend.

In their first contest under the new NCAA Division II four quarters format, senior guard Sha'Nice Storey hit a 3-pointer to put Academy of Art on the board to start. The Bears' responded with an 8-1 run, but junior forward D'Andree Galipeau converted a pair of layups to keep the Knights in stride. After fighting back to tie things up 18-18, the Knights claimed a one point lead at the end of the first 10 minutes with a triple by senior guard Zoie Sheng.

Sheng's shot sparked an 11-2 run that featured scores by all five of ART U's starters, resulting in the Knights' largest lead of the day at 32-25. Six made free throws by NYIT prior to halftime made it just a 43-41 advantage for Academy of Art at the break.

The second half began with Sheng scoring eight including a pair of 3-pointers before a triple by senior guard Regina Camera matched the previous seven-point margin, 54-47. An 8-0 run by the Bears closed the gap then more free throws and a Julie Williams long range shot gave NYIT a 67-61 lead moving to the fourth quarter.

Dina Ragab's bucket kept the Bears in the driver's seat to start and soon it was a double-digit advantage for NYIT. Up by 12 with a little over three minutes left, the Bears began to see their lead evaporate as Sheng keyed an 8-0 run capped off by senior guard Jasmin Guinn assisting Storey for a fastbreak layup. Four points, 80-76, was as close as ART U would come, however, due to Ragab's consistency at the foul line. In the end, a 40-foot triple by Guinn gave the Knights life late, but the end result was a 92-87 NYIT victory.

"I thought we had good stretches, especially in the first half offensively," said head coach LaNay Larson. "Defensively, we can't put a team at the line 47 times and not get to the line ourselves. They scored 27 more points than us off of free throws and you have to give them credit for taking advantage of that."

ART U (0-1) was led by Sheng's double-double (21 points, 10 rebounds) along with five assists and three steals. Guinn added her own 21 points with nine rounds and five assists while Camera followed with 14 points, seven assists, and six rebounds. Storey contributed 13 points including three 3-pointers.

NYIT (1-0) got game-highs of 34 points and 12 rebounds from Ragab despite nine turnovers and Shanice Allen added 16 points with eight rebounds.

"It doesn't get any easier for us," said Larson. "We have two very tough opponents in Winona St and Alaska Anchorage so we need to learn from our mistakes and bounce back quickly."

The Urban Knights return to the Anaheim Convention Center tomorrow for a 6:15 p.m. scheduled tipoff against Winona State continuing the CCA Division II Tipoff Classic.