FRESNO, Calif. – Powered by a historic first quarter from senior guard
Sha'Nice Storey, ART U women's basketball relied on its defense to yield high-percentage shots in an 88-63 win over Fresno Pacific on the road. I
nside FPU's Special Events Center, Storey set the program's single-quarter scoring record with 20 points out of the gate including six 3-pointers as Academy of Art took a lead and scored 42 points in the paint en route to its second Pacific West Conference win.
"I was really happy with how we played as a team with great contributions from all nine players," said head coach
LaNay Larson. "Our focus this week was energy on defense and selfless play and I thought today was a great example of both. Shani got us out to a great start. It was great to see her knock down those shots and get her confidence back."
Though Fresno Pacific built an 8-3 lead to start the game, Storey simply erupted offensively in response. She proceeded to score the next 17 points for ART U, knocking down five 3-pointers as the Knights rallied to take a 25-19 lead. Each of Storey's seven field goals was assisted by her teammates and her 20 points in the first quarter would break senior guard
Jasmin Guinn's previous record (16)
set against Cal State Monterey Bay.
"After I hit my first couple shots, my team on and off the court had some great energy pumping me up," said Storey. "After that I kind of stopped thinking and just kept shooting."
The Academy of Art run extended to 18-3 into the second quarter, shifting the game's momentum drastically as junior forward
D'Andree Galipeau, senior guard
Zoie Sheng, and Guinn each scored layups in the paint while Storey hit another triple. After the Sunbirds broke up the ART U surge, Guinn and senior guard
Regina Camera converted the Knights' final six points all around the basket, growing their lead to 50-30 by halftime.
Storey knocked down her eighth 3-pointer early in the second half and soon a Sheng three-point play was compounded by a layup from junior forward
Priscilla Mora to produce a 70-40 Academy of Art advantage. The margin never dipped below 22 points in the fourth quarter where six of seven field goals were once again scored in the paint. When the final buzzer sounded, the Knights enjoyed their largest margin of victory of the season, winning 88-63.
Remaining undefeated in PacWest play (2-0), the Urban Knights up their overall record to 7-5 with the win while setting season-highs in both assists (21) and steals (14).
Storey was one point off her career-high with 30 in the game (10-for-18) and matched her own ART U single-game record with eight 3-pointers made. Guinn added 16 points, a season-high seven steals, seven rebounds, and five assists. Sheng and Camera each finished with 12 points, combining for 12 assists, and 10 rebounds. Mora contributed nine rebounds and eight points in 17 minutes off the bench.
Fresno Pacific drops to 0-2 in conference and 2-6 overall despite 19 points from Taylor Caspers and 15 points by Megan Lee.
"We want to finish out the semester on a good note and continue to improve," said Larson. "I think today was a good step in the right direction and we look to keep on that track."
After a month and a half on the road, Academy of Art will play its first home games of the 2015-16 season this coming week, hosting Dominican (Dec. 17) and Fresno Pacific (Dec. 19).
