Box Score

St. George, UT -- The homecoming for head coach LaNay Larson was a memorable one as the Urban Knights responded with their backs against the wall for the second consecutive game inside Burns Arena Saturday afternoon. ART U women's basketball fought back against a halftime deficit and used a late three-point play by junior guard Jordan Rogers to steal a 61-59 victory from Western Oregon in a Dixie State Thanksgiving Classic matinee. Less than 24 hours after senior guard Devin London scored a career-high and tied the program scoring record, sophomore forward Alisa Griggs did the same, leading the way with 21 points and eight rebounds.

The Knights and Wolves traded baskets in the early going before WOU pushed a 12-point lead on 10 consecutive points by Rylee Peterson, one of the GNAC's top scorers. That advantage would not last, however, as Academy of Art answered with a 12-3 run that started with a pair of free throws by Rogers and ended with junior forward Ariel Dale giving ART U its first lead at 18-17.

From there, both teams jockeyed for position, but an 8-2 run by Peterson and Western Oregon resulted in the 34-27 halftime advantage for WOU. The story at the break was the 16 first half turnovers Academy of Art had forced though the Wolves had managed to get in front with two additional 3-pointers and three more free throws made.

Western Oregon clutched its lead in the second period, but did not pull away as the Knights were determined to execute another second half comeback. The margin hovered around six points for over 10 minutes and then ART U crept ever closer with a 3-pointer by freshman guard Vianai Austin off the fourth assist by London. Griggs would go to work with two baskets and a pair of free throws to bring Academy of Art within one point, 53-52, as 5:45 showed on the clock.

The Knights' run was then extended to 10-2 thanks to the previous day's clutch heroines. Senior guard Lorraine Etchell had a layup following Rogers' steal and then junior guard Nicol Biesek converted two at the foul line. After the final media timeout was called with 3:13 to play and the Knights up 56-53, fans knew they were in for another thrilling finish. WOU would take a three-point lead just after the one-minute mark and Coach Larson called timeout to prepare her squad.

Though ART U did not score on the ensuing possession, they benefited from a missed layup by Western Oregon and a foul that sent Biesek to the line. She made one then a Rogers interception on the inbound pass led to her three-point play opportunity after a layup and the foul with 17 seconds left. Rogers would break the tie with her free throw and the Knights forced yet another turnover by Peterson, leading to more free throws for Rogers and ultimately the 61-59 victory for Academy of Art.

After London stepped up as the scoring leader in the game against Cal State LA, Griggs took her turn on Saturday. The sophomore forward produced a career-high 21 points (8-for-15 from floor) and grabbed eight rebounds, just one shy of her career-high. Biesek, who continues to lead the team in rebounding, posted nine points and seven rebounds while Rogers scored nine points in 19 minutes with five rebounds and four steals. London contributed in a variety of ways with four rebounds, four assists, and three steals to go with six points. For an Urban Knight bench that outscored WOU 21-4, Austin and Dale had four steals apiece, combining for 10 points. ART U concludes the Dixie State Thanksgiving Classic a perfect 2-of-2 and moves to 3-2 overall this year.

The majority of WOU's offense came from a lone wolf, Rylee Peterson, who finished with 26 points, six rebounds, and four steals. However, the Western Oregon star had two critical turnovers in the team's final two possessions which ended up being the difference. Jade Haas added 14 points, seven rebounds, and four steals. The 27 turnovers by the Wolves were the second-most forced by Academy of Art this year. Western Oregon drops to 0-6 on the season.

The Urban Knights have another extended break (12 days) before their third and final tournament which takes them north to Alaska. The AT&T Hoops Classic will feature matchups between ART U and Alaska Fairbanks (Dec. 9) and host Alaska Anchorage (Dec. 10).