HONOLULU – Combining for their third-highest point total of the season with their best field goal percentage of 2020, Academy of Art women's basketball confidently defeated Chaminade 84-55 inside McCabe Gymnasium on Monday night. Five Urban Knights scored in double figures led by senior guard Josselyn Morris' 19 points as a 38-point lead was built on dominant scoring margins in each of the first three frames.

"After yesterday's turn of events with the death of Kobe Bryant and the others, we talked about having a 'Mamba Mentality' and having the privilege of playing today," said head coach Krystle Evans. "We wanted to use that privilege to play with the spirit and effort of the competitor that we lost."

Junior guard Pam Wilmore scored within seconds of tipoff and went on to rattle off the first seven points for ART U. On the defensive end, Academy of Art forced seven turnovers in the first nine minutes of action while building a 23-12 advantage by the end of the first quarter. Beyond capitalizing on the miscues, the Knights held Chaminade without a field goal through its first six shots to open the game and more than the first nine minutes.

In the second quarter, Morris nailed a pair of 3-pointers during a 9-0 run midway through to help take what had been an 11-point margin to a 45-24 difference by halftime. A layup by freshman forward Aari'yanna Sanders kicked off a 10-2 surge to open the third quarter then Morris and graduate student guard Tayler Bennett buried back-to-back triples as the lead grew to 33 late. Morris then beat the buzzer with another 3-pointer and ART U had effectively doubled their opponent's score at 70-35 with the fourth still to come.

Along with more makes from beyond the three-point arc in the final quarter, baskets by junior guard/forward Lily Perkins and Sanders kept the visitors firmly in front by more than 30 and the final 84-55 score came with on a .477 field goal percentage for Academy of Art.

For the Urban Knights, now 6-10 overall and 4-8 in PacWest play, Morris' 19 points included six 3-pointers while Wilmore's 15 points were complemented by eight assists and five rebounds. It was 15 points apiece for Sanders (7-of-10 shooting from the field, seven rebounds) and Bennett (4-of-8 shooting from long range, season-high five assists, four steals) as well. Perkins rounded out the five ART U players scoring in double figures with her 11 points plus a team-high nine rebounds.

"We did a great job of coming together, playing as a team, and picking each other up," said Evans. "Those simple things make winning that much easier."

Chaminade, who drops to 4-16 on the year and 4-10 PacWest, had a game-high 23 points and five steals come from Destiny Castro.

Remaining in Honolulu, Academy of Art will next face No. 8 Hawaii Pacific inside The Shark Tank this Wednesday, Jan. 29 at 4:30 p.m. HT (6:30 p.m. PT) in a PacWest rematch from less than two weeks ago.

"We have to lock in on film and learn from what we did right and wrong the last time we played Hawaii Pacific," said Evans. "Most importantly, we have to stay focused while in Hawaii. It's always a game before the game; the mental battle. We have to win that match. If we win that match, we'll be good."