Senior Ariel Dale seemed to be everywhere on the court during the Urban Knights' 2-0 week which featured victories over the Alaska Nanooks (Nov. 16) and Nebraska Kearney (Nov. 18). Dale embodied the "defense into offense" approach Academy of Art University has emphasized this season, averaging 6.0 steals and 16.5 points per game as well as 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.
In the 2012-13 home opener versus the Nanooks, Dale poured in a game-high 18 points with 16 of those coming in a historic first period. ART U scored its new program record for a half (56 points) and the senior's four steals in that portion were a major factor. Then against UNK, Dale came one steal shy of the program record she tied last season, notching seven in total while again providing a spark off the bench with 15 points and eight rebounds (six on the offensive glass). The Los Angeles, CA native went for a team-high 10 points in the second half in that one.
“When you have great defense, you automatically have great offense so I just found the open opportunities," Dale said. "Our team was able to move the ball around and executed like we were supposed to.”
