HAYWARD, Calif. – Back for round two of the Cal State East Bay Thanksgiving Shootout, Academy of Art University women's basketball made a late push to top Cal State East Bay 57-54 on Sunday inside Pioneer Gym. The Urban Knights scored 18 points off 21 turnovers, unleashed a 12-0 run to start the fourth quarter, and later sealed things with a fastbreak layup by junior forward Helena Orts in the waning seconds.

"I felt like this team made big strides tonight, it was a great team win that took a lot of effort and discipline," said head coach LaNay Larson. "I felt like when we went on our run we locked down defensively and then did a good job of working the ball around and showing patience in getting good shots. Those are qualities that we have been really emphasizing and have taken time to develop."

Though the Pioneers opened the game on a 13-5 run and led 17-11 at the end of the first quarter, Orts' first 3-pointer of the season helped ART U cut the margin down to two early in the second. Another 13-5 surge by CSUEB pushed a double-digit advantage briefly before layups by Orts and senior forward Pre'Franz Dominick reduced the lead to 30-24 at halftime.

Those baskets would turn into a 10-2 run across the first and second halves as senior guard Alana Simon boosted her team with a pair of layups. Over the next three minutes, Cal State East Bay steadily rebuilt its lead to 41-30, but junior guard Rodericka Ware then promptly exploded for nine points in one minute with a pair of 3-pointers and a three-point play. She later added a pair of free throws and the margin was down to six points heading to the fourth.

The game's momentum shifted drastically at the start of the final quarter with baskets by Orts and junior guard Jazzlyn Brewster initiating what became a 12-0 run. Dominick had three points as ART U took the lead and Ware knocked down a triple in the corner to push a 55-49 advantage. Free throws helped the Pioneers shorten the gap to three in the last minute, but after missing a layup with 14 seconds left, Brewster outlet Orts for a layup to make it a two-possession game with nine seconds left, effectively sealing the 57-54 victory.

Academy of Art improves to 2-4 overall after another game with three Knights scoring in double figures. Ware finished with 19 points (11 in the third quarter) on 4-for-7 shooting from beyond the three-point arc and Orts had her second double-double of the year with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Simon added 11 points in her second consecutive start.

"[Rodericka] and Helena have great chemistry and make a good combo when we need baskets in the half court," said Larson. "They did a great job in the second half, but it was a total team effort on defense. We had a number of kids step up and get big stops and rebounds down the stretch. All in all, I'm very proud of them and we just need to continue to make strides moving into conference play."

Cal State East Bay drops to 3-3 on the year despite 16 points and nine rebounds in 24 minutes off the bench for Morgan Greene. Remy Puou and Shomari Harris each had 12 points apiece.

ART U plays its first PacWest Conference game of the year this week, remaining on the road at Fresno Pacific on Thursday, Dec. 1.