Box Score

Photo Gallery (images by Austin McKeon)

San Francisco, CA -- Welcome home, Academy of Art University women's basketball.

Despite trailing Saint Martin's at halftime, ART U unleashed an incredible 18-3 second half run to win their home opener 67-62 inside Kezar Pavilion on Wednesday night. The Urban Knights turned in a complete team effort led by senior guard Lorraine Etchell who scored a season-high 16 points.

“We're starting a tradition at Kezar,” Etchell said. “It feels really good to get this win. Something changed after we won in that Dixie State Tournament. I think winning has being ingrained in us now. We were looking around at each other in the locker room, and decided we're not going to lose at Kezar. The mentality is just changing right now.”

“The big thing tonight was that our starters were in foul trouble so it was important for people to play good minutes off the bench,” head coach LaNay Larson said. “We were able to get a lead, sustain it, and then of course finishing off the game was the most important thing. Our effort and intensity on defense was good and we will become more mature as a team going forward. I definitely liked that the effort was there though.”

Five seconds in, junior guard Nicol Biesek had Academy of Art's first two points of the year at home as the Urban Knights started off hot with a 13-3 run that saw ART U convert four of its first six shots. The opening surge was capped by freshman guard Vianai Austin's pair of baskets to make it a double-digit advantage. However, Academy of Art began playing a dangerous game when they picked up their sixth team foul with over nine and a half minutes still left to play. A 9-3 run by Saint Martin's had brought the visitors back into it and they would continue to keep it close by converting from the foul line.

“Our athleticism really carries us sometimes and especially with us getting transition points; that starts with our defense,” Coach Larson said. “We struggle when we don't get stops or steals or tips and it usually comes with us getting lots of fouls. When there's no flow to the game, that's not our strength. When we can get on a run, put some stops together, find outlets, and run the floor, that all gives us a lot of confidence.”

The Saints would take their first lead of the game on free throws at the 5:03 mark and proceeded to grow it into a 36-28 halftime advantage. Though down at the break, the Urban Knights remembered that this was their home opener and knew they were capable of giving their fans better. An alarming beginning to the second half had SMU go up 38-28, but those dedicated onlookers who came to support during finals week at Academy of Art watched ART U quickly turn it into a two-point game via an 11-3 burst that featured baskets by all three captains, Etchell, senior guard Devin London, and sophomore forward Alisa Griggs.

“When the crowd is there, it's an electrifying feeling so we just need to build on our confidence to reach our potential faster,” Etchell said. “I think that we've been struggling with shooting lately, but we have to just keep having confidence in our shot. That's what it's all about. We have to keep that pride in our home gym and make it our tradition to not lose at home.”

That first ART U push was just a small preview of what would happen at midway through the period. An impressive 18-3 run ensued with offense generated by four steals, three blocked shots, and offensive rebounds galore during that span. Five different Urban Knights contributed buckets in the surge which showed just how much Academy of Art thrives off the transition game. Junior forward Ariel Dale in particular had two fastbreak layups to send a ripple through the ART U faithful. From down 10 early in the half, the Knights came all the way back to lead by 10 on a triple by junior guard Jordan Rogers at 4:52.

Though the game had not yet been won at that point, the fact that the Knights had rallied back for such a drastic turnaround on their home floor was enough to stifle any SMU momentum. The Saints tried to make a final push, but time ran out on them as they would come no closer than three points with six seconds left in what would become a 67-62 home victory for ART U.

“We talked about how important the games were this week,” Coach Larson said. “We needed to get our confidence back after Alaska trip and win games like this that carry us into conference. We needed to set the tone for what we want to do. Definitely we need to start the tradition of winning at home and I put pressure on the team saying we needed this win for our program.”

On an efficient 7-for-12 shooting from the floor, Etchell finished with 16 points to set a new season-high. She scored 11 points in the second half, grabbed four rebounds, and knocked down two 3-pointers as well.

“Last year, I felt like I struggled so this year has been about getting my mentality back, remembering my skills, and finding that confidence in my abilities again,” Etchell said. “I've got to keep raising the bar and this is my last season so I'm really trying to set the bar for my teammates.”

Rogers also excelled in the second half, scoring seven of her 11 points in the period. Behind Etchell and Rogers, Biesek added eight points, six rebounds, and three blocked shots while Dale offered eight points off the bench with four steals and three assists. As a team, ART U recorded the third-most blocks (9) in program history with many of those rejections contributing to an 18-0 Academy of Art demolition in fast break points. The Knights conclude non-conference play with a 4-4 record.

“Lorraine played with lots of confidence tonight and Jordan is really a clutch player who can make lots of good decisions particularly at the end of the game,” Coach Larson said. “Also Ari gave us good minutes off the bench and did some good things second half. I thought we got some great minutes out of our bench. For a freshman, Vianai did well and [Alexandria Coleman] and [Juliua Fraser] both gave us good minutes in the post when our bigs got in foul trouble. Nicol continues to be one of our best passers, so I thought everyone contributed in the way their capable of doing. I love the intensity of both the players on the floor and those on the bench. To battle back especially while in foul trouble, that's huge for a team. And this being the program's first win against a Division II West Region opponent says a lot for us right now.”

Megan Teade turned in a team-high 13 points on 3-of-4 shooting beyond the three-point line for the Saints. She was supported by 10 points from Jordyn Richarson who converted 5-of-6 from the foul line. SMU drops to 6-6 this year.

ART U opens Pacific West Conference play this Saturday, Dec. 17 at new conference member California Baptist. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:00 PM inside Van Dyne Gym in Riverside, CA.