Box Score
Photo Gallery (images by Rob Garcia)
Honolulu, HI – The Urban Knights closed out their 2014 Hawaii roadtrip in dominant fashion with a 120-69 win over Chaminade on Wednesday evening in McCabe Gymnasium. For the second consecutive game, Academy of Art University surpassed the 100-point mark, achieving a new program scoring record thanks to a pair of program highs for a half (60). Krystal Forthan upped her career-high to 24 points while Molly O'Brien tied her career-high with her 20 points.

"I think a lot with being a great team is staying level-headed and not letting these wins get to us," O'Brien said. "We still have a lot to improve on and some good competition coming up, so our main goal is taking it one day at a time and continue working together. It starts in practice."

The Silverswords' Kennedi Akana provided her squad's only lead of the game with a game-opening layup as four points by Alisa Griggs soon shifted the score. A 16-2 ART U run ensued where O'Brien converted three free throws after being fouled on a shot from long range, Sha'Nice Storey knocked down a triple, and Forthan hit three jumpers for six points.

Up 20-6, the Knights continued to build upon their double-digit advantage, using a 9-2 push that featured Storey's second 3-pointer. Academy of Art soon approached a 20-point lead in the first 13 minutes on back-to-back triples assisted by Zoie Sheng and O'Brien respectively. Chaminade managed to keep the margin from reaching 20 points for the next five minutes with repeated baskets by Lilia Maio, but five quick from O'Brien were combined with scores by Forthan, Storey, and Guinn for a 15-7 ART U to finish the half up 60-37

The 60 points scored by Academy of Art in the first half became the new program record, topping the previous high of 56 which came against Alaska Fairbanks last year on Nov. 16, 2012. By the opening half's end, Storey had scored 16 points on a 4-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc, reminiscent of her game at Chaminade the previous year when she scored the program's single-game record 31 points on eight 3-pointers made.

A 23-point lead at the half quickly turned into 36 as Guinn and Sheng helped the Knights open the second period with a 13-0 burst capped by Griggs' three-point play. The Silverswords whittled it down to 29 by way of a 9-3 run, but that was as close as they would get the rest of the way. In a matter of minutes, ART U made it a 40-point game, 99-59, following Regina Camera's trey and another basket from Forthan.

"Our offense has really improved as of late and a lot of that has to do with the addition of Krystal," head coach LaNay Larson said. "She is not only capable of scoring, but is also a great passer. If she gets doubled, she is great at finding the open person and we have so many other people capable of scoring."

O'Brien delivered a three-point play which officially broke the previous scoring record from two nights ago and, with nearly seven minutes still left, Academy of Art was far from finished. Irene Aranda nailed a jumper and shortly thereafter bigs D'Andree Galipeau and Aleigh Krug either scored from the field or from the foul line. In the end, the Knights won 120-69, marking a 19-point improvement on the previous school scoring record.

"We are still stressing defense and that is something we need to continue to improve upon," Coach Larson said. "This team has high expectations and they know that even though we have improved, we still have a lot of growing and improving to do."

Helping ART U improve to 10-5 overall and a perfect 7-0 in PacWest play was Forthan who finished with 24 points (11-of-18 FG), nine rebounds, four assists, and three steals. She was complemented by O'Brien who turned in 20 points (10-of-11 FT) with three assists and two steals. The pair of Division I transfers are turning into quite the one-two punch for Academy of Art.

"My main goal at ART U is to get another (and my first) championship," O'Brien said. "I love Coach L's style of play, how she controls her team, and I love playing for her. The switch between Division I and DII is definitely different, but basketball is still basketball and I'm going to bring my style of play wherever I'm at."

Still a well-rounded team effort as all games during this win streak, the Knights also got 16 points (4-of-5 3PT) from Storey all in the first half while Griggs added 13 points and seven rebounds. Krug had her second double-double of the year in the form of 12 points and 11 rebounds. Guinn also chipped in 12 points and Camera offered her third straight game with five assists combined with seven points. Coach Larson improves to 10-0 in Hawaii since joining Academy of Art.

"Going undefeated in Hawaii is never an easy task," Coach Larson said. "The girls deserve a lot of credit for staying focused on our goals and getting the job done."

Chaminade was led by Akana's 20 points while three other Silverswords each added 12 points apiece. The Swords, who allowed ART U to score 31 points off 25 turnovers, drop to 1-10 overall and 1-4 in PacWest play on the year.

The Urban Knights return to the mainland and will be set to face Holy Names in their only game of the coming week on Tuesday, Jan. 14 at 5:30 PM in Oakland, CA.