IRVINE, Calif. – Academy of Art women's basketball rallied back against Concordia's first half success by shifting momentum in the third, but one last push by CUI in the final frame sealed the 63-45 victory in Pacific West Conference action.
A pair of layups from senior forward
Yasmine Sifaoui then five quick points via junior guard
Alba Rovira Ayuso helped kept ART U right with CUI early, but a 6-0 run to end the quarter expanded into 18 straight before redshirt freshman guard
Karereatua Williams stopped the scoring streak. Rovira Ayuso was responsible for the final four Academy of Art points of the half, leading to the 40-22 Golden Eagles advantage at the break.
Sifaoui continued to convert, scoring five of her team's first seven points of the third quarter yet Concordia continued to match before the Urban Knights ended the frame on a 9-2 push capped by another Sifaoui layup to make it 48-36 heading to the fourth. Sophomore guard
Maddie Morrow knocked down a 3-pointer to counter a Golden Eagles triple early in the final quarter, but a 5-0 stretch up until the last minute of play allowed CUI to conclude on top 63-45.
"The message today was to be intentional about our execution," said Head Coach
Jesse Clark. "Unfortunately, we started the game with some turnovers and decent looks that didn't go down. As we tried to come back, we found some consistency of play in the third through a renewed commitment to finishing plays on both ends of the court."
Academy of Art falls to 11-16 on the season and 4-15 in PacWest play despite double-digit scoring efforts from Rovira Ayuso (13 points) and Sifaoui (11 points). The former added five rebounds while the latter collected two steals and two blocks as well.
Concordia, now 5-21 overall and 4-15 in conference, was led by Erika Maggard's 23 points on 10-for-20 shooting from the field plus eight rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
The final game of the season for ART U will have them meet Azusa Pacific for the first time this Saturday, Mar. 1 at 1:15 p.m. from Felix Event Center.
"Entering into our game on Saturday afternoon, we will focus on the execution of the details," Clark said.
