Box Score
San Rafael, CA – The Academy of Art University (8-14, 4-7 PacWest) defeated Dominican University (5-17, 2-9 PacWest) for the second time this season Thursday, 72-69. Led by junior
Jessica Nolan, the Urban Knights were on the winning end of a game that saw five ties, including one with 39 seconds remaining in the game.
Nolan, who played all 40 minutes, finished with a season high 27 points, knocking down 9-of-11 shots from the floor, and pulled down six rebounds. She continues to impress Head Coach Lindsey Yamasaki, “Tonight and pretty much all season we have been carried by Jessica Nolan, she has proven to be our most consistent, confident and best scorer.”
The Lady Penguins jumped out to an early lead to start the game. Behind all but four minutes in the first half, AAU found themselves down 43-33 at the end of the first period.
The second half was a different story. “I was proud of our team, that we were able to bounce back from the first half, and come back,” Said Coach Yamasaki. “We had a lot more composure than we have had this all season and I was happy to see we were able to step up and make a big play.” Down by 13 with less than seven minutes to play, the Urban Knights put together an offensive surge. Senior Sondra Stilwell knocked down a three point shot during a 7-0 run by AAU to bring them within six. Nolan posted 15 second half points including a game winning three point play to give AAU the lead with 19 seconds remaining.
Another strong performance for the Urban Knights came from junior Verity Peets. The forward notched 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Sophomore Lorraine Etchell also looked sharp as she added 14 points, sinking 6-of-10 shots from the floor. Etchell recorded five rebounds, and had two steals and two assists in the win.
Alisha Flaaten was the leading scorer for the Lady Penguins. She finished the day with 19 points on 7-of-18 shots, including 3-of-9 from behind the arc.
Up next, the Urban Knights will head to Belmont, CA where they will take on NDNU for the second time this season. AAU will be looking to avenge their 64-61 loss to the Argos. Tip off is set for 5:30pm at Walter Gleason Gym.
