ANAHEIM, Calif. – The CCA Division II Tipoff Classic continued Saturday with Academy of Art University women's basketball falling to Winona State 77-55 inside the Anaheim Convention Center. ART U led after the first quarter, but a shift in momentum over the next two favored the Warriors who shot 50 percent from the field for the game. Senior guard
Zoie Sheng scored a team-high 18 points, hitting four 3-pointers for the second day in a row.
"Winona is a team with a lot of experience returning and picked to win their conference so we knew we were in for a tough matchup," said head coach
LaNay Larson. "We gave too many open looks to their top kids and have to get smarter and more disciplined on defense because that feeds our offense. There will be a lot to learn from these games and better to know early what adjustments and weaknesses we need to focus on."
The Urban Knights were off to a hot shooting night themselves after senior guard
Regina Camera and Sheng each nailed shots from beyond the arc for an 8-4 lead, but WSU would make its way back ahead 11-10. Senior guard
Jasmin Guinn's triple then sparked a 7-2 ART U run which had Academy of Art up 17-15 at the end of the first quarter.
After neither side scored for nearly three full minutes of the second, an 8-2 Winona push put them up by six. Despite a nice second-chance bucket by junior forward
D'Andree Galipeau late in the half, the Warriors would take a 33-25 advantage into the locker room.
WSU's lead reached double digits briefly to start the third quarter, yet consistent offense by Sheng kept her team within striking distance. However, back-to-back 3-pointers began an 11-0 Winona State surge and their 25-15 scoring differential in that quarter would put them ahead by 18 heading into the final fourth. A pair of triples by Camera cut the margin down to 14 late, but the Warriors hung tough and went on to win 77-55.
Saturday's result moves Academy of Art to 0-2 despite a team-high 18 points and four 3-pointers from Sheng. Camera added 15 points with three triples and five rebounds while Guinn and Brown each finished with eight points apiece.
Now 2-0 on the year, Winona State had four of five starters score in double figures led by Alexis Foley's 20 points. Tara Roelofs contributed 15 points and seven rebounds.
ART U finishes off the CCA Division II Tipoff Classic with an 11:15 a.m. contest versus Alaska Anchorage inside Cal State Dominguez Hills' Torodome tomorrow. The Seawolves defeated both William Jewell and Cal State Dominguez Hills in the two days prior.
"Anchorage returns the core of a team that spent most of the 2014-15 season ranked No. 1 in the country so a tough test is an understatement," said Larson. "We need to focus on what we need to do better and make sure we are progressing each and every game. It is a long season and games against such quality teams are going to help us down the road achieve our goals."
