Box Score

Riverside, CA -- Another impressive second half of Urban Knight women's basketball was on display Saturday afternoon inside Van Dyne Gym, but Cal Baptist held on for a 73-67 victory to start Pacific West Conference play for both teams. Academy of Art University outscored CBU 44-34 in the second half including an 8-0 run late. Junior guard Jordan Rogers finished with 21 points (4-of-8 3pt) and 12 rebounds (both season-highs) while sophomore forward Alisa Griggs turned in another double-double (13 points, 12 rebounds).

“In the first half, I thought we missed shots we're normally capable of making and then that frustration carried to the defensive end,” head coach LaNay Larson said. “We definitely came back in the second half and, if we play like that more often, we'll win a lot of games this season. It's a game of two halves and I just didn't feel like came out the way we needed to in the start of conference play. We put ourselves in a hole on the road against Cal Baptist and it was too big a fight on the road. We gave all we had in the second half, but we never should have been in that situation to begin with.”

Rogers knocked down a 3-pointer to start things off for Academy of Art, but the Lancers would respond by going on an 8-2 run to take an early lead. The CBU surge was broken up by a determined possession in which senior guard Lorraine Etchell repeatedly fought for a loose ball and eventually found Rogers for another triple, tying the game 8-8 at 16:47.

Another push by Cal Baptist, this time 13-2, put the home team ahead 21-10 and they would extend that margin to 21 points on two occasions late in the period. In the final 11 seconds of the first half, however, a technical foul called against the Lancers resulted in an opportunity for junior guard Nicol Biesek at the foul line. She converted all four free throws to cut into CBU's advantage with the Knights down 39-23 at the break.

An early 14-9 Academy of Art run to start the second half came the form of free throws, a 3-pointer by freshman guard Vianai Austin, and a five-point outburst by senior guard Devin London. That stretch turned a 20-point game into a more manageable 11-point affair, but the Lancers still refused to let their lead drop below double digits for the next four minutes. Baskets by Rogers, Griggs, and Biesek composed a quick 6-0 ART U run, but CBU benefited from free throws and returned it to a 13-point margin.

The Urban Knights, however, would creep ever closer to Cal Baptist with an 8-0 run that began on a layup by junior center Juliua Fraser at the 6:14 mark. Griggs extended it with four quick points and then Rogers cut it to five, 68-63, making this anyone's game for the final 2:40. After a basket by Etchell, CBU responded with a short burst, but back-to-back triples by Rogers and London made it only a four-point difference, 70-66, with 40 seconds left. Etchell had another look from distance and though London had a chance to cut it to two with 13 seconds remaining, the Lancers converted their final free throws and won 73-67.

Rogers scored a game-high 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting for the Knights (including four 3-pointers), but it was perhaps her rebounding prowess that was particularly impressive. She grabbed 13 rebounds as a guard with four on the offensive glass.

“Honestly, I thought Jordan was the only one who was consistently playing well throughout both halves of the game,” Coach Larson said. “We've got to give her the ball more because she's a little too unselfish right now. But she really did a great job rebounding. For a kid we've had to limit in practice [due to injury], she comes in and does a good job on both ends of the court for us. She has a very high basketball IQ and her value doesn't always appear on the stat sheet.”

Griggs posted her third double-double of an already career season with 13 points and 12 rebounds, living at the foul line where she converted 9-of-10. London added nine points and five rebounds for an ART U team that out-rebounded CBU 51-44. Academy of Art University is now 4-5 overall, 0-1 in PacWest action.

For the 5-1 Lancers, the PacWest's leading scorer Myriah Hicks led the way with 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor. Nicole Anderson provided the team's lone double-double with 12 points (8-of-10 FT) and 11 rebounds while Simone Holmes contributed 12 points as well. The Lancers start PacWest play 1-0.

“Everybody came back and played a better second half,” Coach Larson said. “I got on Devin at halftime as far as being a senior and a leader and the half she played to start. Then she really came back and really stepped it up defensively, made better decisions, and took better shots in the second half. And the same with Alisa. She came back and played a great second half. Nicol picked up two fouls early in the game and she's such a good passer so we've got to have her on the floor.”

A lengthy break is on tap for the Urban Knights who will not take the floor until next year on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2012 against Dixie State. That contest will take place at Kezar Pavilion with tipoff scheduled for 5:00 PM.

“We've played eight of nine games on the road so it will be nice to get into next semester with some home games early,” Coach Larson said. “We've been on the road with some long trips and we've definitely had a challenging first semester, but it will make us stronger as a team. We can definitely say we're prepared to play road games.”