FRESNO, Calif. – Defense translated to offense quite often in a 73-56 victory for Academy of Art University women's basketball over Fresno Pacific to start Pacific West Conference play. A season-high 27 points off 23 Sunbird turnovers plus ART U's best field goal percentage of the year spelled the difference in first and third quarter runs by the Urban Knights inside the Special Events Center on Thursday night.

"I thought when we did play hard on the defensive end it turned into easy baskets for us," said head coach LaNay Larson. "I'm looking for that effort to be more consistent moving forward. The balance on offense was good and we continue to move the ball a little bit better."

After 3-pointers by junior forward Hayley Pryor and junior guards Jazzlyn Brewster and Rodericka Ware helped fuel a game-opening 15-4 run, ART U saw its lead cut down to six after the Sunbirds' 7-2 response moving into the second quarter.

The Knights, however, came back with scores on five of their next six possessions capped by an exciting sequence in which junior forward Helena Orts hit a jumper then stole the ball and found Ware for the transition 3-pointer. What was once a 16-point lead for Academy of Art ended up being just eight at the half (28-20) following a 9-1 final push by the Sunbirds.

Out of the halftime locker room, ART U surged further ahead with a 10-0 run highlighted by two steals from senior guard Alana Simon. The Knights' lead grew to 18 (38-20), briefly dropped to 14, but a layup by freshman guard Karleigh Joseph plus a 3-pointer from Ware pushed Academy of Art ahead by 19 just five minutes into the third.

Ware dished a behind-the-back pass to Brewster in the final seconds of the quarter and her triple made it 53-35 going to the fourth. There the margin expanded beyond 20 points as Ware continued to produce, Orts converted a three-point play, and later freshman guard Kennadi Miller knocked down her second 3-pointer of the season. In a contest they never trailed, ART U finished off the 73-56 win.

Now 3-4 overall and 1-0 in the PacWest, Academy of Art was effective from the field (48.3 percent) and in transition, outscoring FPU 27-16 on points off turnovers and holding a 38-23 advantage in bench points with 17 of those coming in the third quarter alone. Ware posted a season-high 22 points with six rebounds and six assists while Orts delivered her third double-double of the year with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Brewster had 11 points off the bench and Simon snagged five steals which helped give her team a 12-3 lead in fastbreak points.

"We do need to value it more and limit our turnovers to be more efficient," said Larson. "It was good to get that first conference win but we know that we have to continue to improve in some key areas moving forward. Right now we are focused on one game at a time and getting better on both ends of the court."

Fresno Pacific falls to 2-5 overall and starts conference play 0-1. Megan Lee heated up from distance in the second half and finished with a team-high 18 points including four 3-pointers.

Though they are off this weekend, the Knights return to Kezar Pavilion this Monday, Dec. 5 to host BYU-Hawaii at 5:30 p.m.