Box Score

San Francisco, CA --- Propelled by senior forward Jessica Nolan's 16 point performance, the Urban Knights defeated the Penguins of Dominican University Thursday night, 71-60, at Kezar Pavilion. Nolan registered her eighth double-double of the season finishing with 16 points and a game high 12 rebounds in the Urban Knights' victory. ART U quieted the Penguins from the first minutes to the final seconds, leading for the majority of the game.

Coming into the contest, the two teams were boasting almost identical overall records. But after the win, the Urban Knights improve to 6-12 overall and 4-5 in the PacWest Conference, while the Penguins fall to 5-14 overall and 3-6 in the PacWest.

Dominican looked to carry their success from last week, when they upset Hawaii Pacific University, into their game against the Urban Knights tonight. However, Head Coach Lindsey Yamasaki and her ball club had other plans. “This game was a good win for us,” said Yamasaki. “We bounced back from a tough loss last week and took care of business on our home floor tonight, like we needed to do.”

After an early Dominican advantage, 9-6, the Urban Knights put together a 7-2 run to take the lead with 13:48 remaining in the first half. With just under eight minutes to play, Academy of Art silenced the Dominican offense for nearly five minutes, extending their lead to as many as 13 points before the half retired. The Penguins tried to edge closer as time expired, but could not get closer than eight points. The Urban Knights used an impressive 62% field goal percentage, along with a 75% three-point shooting percentage to enter the locker room with the 43-35 advantage. In the first half, seven ART U players got on the board, with senior Jasmine English and junior Nicole DeRosier leading the way with 10 points a piece.

The second half was a much tighter race as neither team shot particularly well from the floor. Dominican stormed out of the locker room following the intermission with a 7-2 run, which got the Penguins right back into the game, 47-42. However, ART U converted 12 points off of Dominican turnovers, and used 13 points from the bench to maintain a comfortable cushion over the penguins which secured their 71-60 victory.

In the contest, nine of the 10 Urban Knights who saw action in the game put points on the board for ART U. “I love when we have balanced scoring and everyone is involved, that makes it a true team win,” said Yamasaki.

Nolan led the way with 16 points (8-of-8 from the free-throw line), 12 rebounds, six assists, and one block. “I am so happy that Jess continues to step up night after night for us. She is exhibiting more urgency and senior leadership that we both know we need,” added Yamasaki.

Nicole DeRosier was next on the team with 13 points, going 3-9 from three-point territory, and 5-of-13 from the field. Jasmine English and freshman Alisa Griggs each added 10 points a piece in the win. English was 5-of-7 from the floor, grabbed five rebounds and finished with two blocks. “Jasmine has become a player that we rely on, especially offensively and for rebounding. She is a scorer with the athletic ability to own the glass on any given night, and I think over the course of the season she has proven that she is capable of just that,” Yamasaki said.

Freshman Madeline Martin dished out a career high seven assists tonight, while Nolan tied her season high with six assists.

Dominican University was led by Kelsey Janusch who finished with 16 points. Tammy Brawner added 15 points in the loss. Both Melissa Wise and Shawna Bryant chipped in with nine points a piece.

This game concludes the Knights' five game homestand. ART U travels next to Belmont, CA to take on the Argos of Notre Dame de Namur on Monday, February 7th. Tip off is set for 5:30 PM, with the men's game scheduled to follow at 7:30 PM.