PALO ALTO, Calif. – In a cross-divisional exhibition game, Academy of Art University women's basketball had the unique opportunity to play Stanford on Saturday inside Maples Pavilion. Though the score ended up favoring the Cardinal 81-48, the experience gained by the Urban Knights was invaluable as they matched up with the No. 14/16 team in the country.

Unfazed by their surroundings and the elite level of their opponent, ART U gained an early lead after senior guard Jasmin Guinn scored on a fastbreak then hit a 3-pointer on the Urban Knights' very next possession to go up 5-2. Stanford responded with a 7-0 run capped by Erica McCall layups, but Academy of Art stayed in it until a 16-2 surge created separation.

A layup by sophomore guard Desiree Harris had the Knights only down 30-18 at the end of the first quarter then senior guard Sha'Nice Storey added five points early in the second to cut the lead to seven. Tough defense and missed offensive opportunities for ART U allowed a 21-2 Cardinal run and 51-25 halftime score to ensue.

"We were severely mismatched as far as size so we need to be much more fundamental with our rebounding and not just rely on athleticism," said head coach LaNay Larson.

Both Storey and senior guard Zoie Sheng hit triples in an evenly-played third quarter before senior center Caron Brown, senior guard Regina Camera, and Guinn finished well around the basket in the fourth. Stanford outscored Academy of Art by just seven in the second half, but the early margin held up for a Cardinal victory.

For ART U, Guinn finished with a team-high 13 points and six rebounds. Sheng added 11 points with five rebounds and two 3-pointers made while Storey also had a pair of shots from distance as part of her eight points.

The Cardinal was led by McCall's 19 points and 16 rebounds while Karlie Samuelson put up 17 points and eight rebounds and Alanna Smith came off the bench to score 12 points with nine rebounds.

"There were too many stretches where we struggled to hit shots, but their length made it hard to get the shots we are accustomed to getting," said Larson. "I thought it was a great learning experience to play such a great team that is very disciplined and well coached."

Academy of Art returns to NCAA Division II play next week with a pair of games in the Montana State-Billings' Yellowjacket Women's Basketball Classic.