BELMONT, Calif. – Playing a Notre Dame de Namur team hungry for its first win of the season, Academy of Art University women's basketball weathered the storm of an early deficit then came on strong in the final quarter to earn its first Pacific West Conference victory 78-68. Each of the five Urban Knights starters scored in double figures and two recorded double-doubles in Saturday's triumph inside NDNU's Walter Gleason Gym.

"We had a shorter rotation today so we had to rely on our starters and bench equally and they came through with a tough road win," said head coach LaNay Larson. "NDNU played very hard and shot the ball extremely well to start the game. We really had to battle through a rough day from beyond the arc and found a way to win."

The Argonauts came out of the gate hot, converting six of their first nine field goal attempts to gain a 16-5 lead. However, as ART U began to settle into its full-court press and was active on the offensive glass, the Urban Knights battled back. Both senior center Caron Brown and senior guard Regina Camera were key early, helping keep the margin at only six at the end of the opening quarter.

After Camera's free throws shortened the gap to three points, 25-22, early in the second, nearly three minutes of scoreless basketball ensued before the teams were once again exchanging buckets. Senior guard Sha'Nice Storey found Brown for a jumper that sparked a 9-0 run to take the lead as senior guard Zoie Sheng helped fuel the fire with a 3-pointer as well. A three-point play by the Argos in the final minute, however, made it only a 36-34 halftime advantage for Academy of Art.

No more than four points separated the teams throughout a tightly-played third quarter. The Knights continued to offer a variety of contributions on the offensive end as six different players scored in the quarter. Junior forward Pre'Franz Dominick was particularly active grabbing offensive rebounds and getting put-backs which helped give ART U a 29-15 advantage in second-chance points.

Junior forward Priscilla Mora got Academy of Art started with a layup early in the fourth quarter, but the visitors' lead was only a single point with three minutes and 48 seconds left. That's when Sheng knocked down back-to-back jumpers from the top of the key to push the margin to five points. Notre Dame de Namur desperately tried to stay alive by fouling ART U in the final minute, but senior guard Jasmin Guinn, Camera, and Brown all knocked down free throws as the Knights continued to play tough defense to the final buzzer. In the end, the victory came by 10 points, 78-68.

Winners of six of its last eight, Academy of Art improves to 6-5 overall and 1-0 in PacWest play this season. Sheng finished with a team-high 17 points to go with eight assists while Guinn had her third double-double of the year (14 points and 12 rebounds). Guinn added five steals to give her now five games with 5+ steals.

Storey added 14 points and six rebounds, Camera contributed 13 points, five assists, and five steals, and Brown posted her first double-double of the year, tying her career-high with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Dominick's nine rebounds were a season-high as well.

For the now 0-8 (0-1 PacWest) Argonauts, Jerusha Paine led the way with 20 points and 10 rebounds while Kirsten Liana added 18 points, seven rebounds, and five assists.

After a busy non-conference season, ART U will have its second consecutive one-game week with a trip to Fresno Pacific on Saturday, Dec. 12 on tap. That PacWest contest is set to tip off at 2:30 p.m.