BELMONT, Calif. – Going up against an undefeated Central Washington team in its NDNU Tournament finale, Academy of Art University women's basketball fought back against an early deficit to eventually stand victorious 76-68 on Saturday. Down seven at the half, ART U went on an incredible 14-0 run through the transition of third to fourth quarter and finished with three Urban Knights scoring in double figures in the win.
"I was proud of how the team battled back and stayed in control down the stretch," said head coach
LaNay Larson. "We had people step up at every position so it was a huge team win for us."
A pair of 8-0 runs enabled the Wildcats to take a 25-10 lead after one quarter. Jasmin Edwards put CWU up 27-12 early in the second, but that advantage was quickly cut down by a 9-0 ART U surge highlighted by a three-point play from senior guard
Regina Camera. Late in the period, senior guard
Zoie Sheng hit free throws and finally, in the final second of play, junior forward
Priscilla Mora converted the layup to make it a manageable seven-point game at the half with Central Washington leading 34-27.
The momentum carried into the fourth as senior guard
Sha'Nice Storey scored back-to-back jumpers and it was only an Alexis Berrysmith layup that finally ended ART U's 14-0 push. The Urban Knights kept their foot on the gas pedal, scoring on their next three possessions then surging for six unanswered points to gain a 66-58 lead on senior center
Caron Brown's points in the paint.
With the game hanging in the balance, Storey scored twice more before senior guard
Jasmin Guinn's layup with one minute and 33 seconds left made it a seven-point margin. ART U forced four CWU misses in the final minute while putting in its free throws, sealing the 76-68 win.
Academy of Art moves above .500 with the victory, becoming 4-3 overall. Sheng finished with a game-high 18 points to go with seven assists and three steals. Camera added 16 points while Guinn put up her first double-double of the year (14 points, 10 rebounds). Brown contributed eight points and eight rebounds. The Knights shot just under 53 percent from the field in the second half, outscoring the Wildcats 49-34.
"Playing a very tough early season schedule has helped this team by exposing weaknesses that we were able to work on to become better that much quicker," said Larson. "They have been battle-tested from the beginning and I think it's developed a toughness that has been key for us to be successful."
Central Washington drops to 3-1 with the loss, its first of the season, despite a team-high 17 points, seven rebounds, and six assists from Edwards. Mandy Steward came off the bench to score 13 points.
ART U returns to the Torodome in Carson, Calif., home to Cal State Dominguez Hills, this Tuesday, Nov. 24 to face the Toros in a 2 p.m. matchup.
