Box Score SAN FRANCISCO – In its 2014-15 home opener, Academy of Art University women's basketball used a balanced attack from both the starters and off the bench to defeat Cal State Dominguez Hills 81-76 on Monday night. ART U's 19 points off 18 Toros turnovers played a major part in the win as free throws plus a key steal by junior
Krystal Forthan in the final 10 seconds fended off any chance of a comeback.
Starting with junior
Sha'Nice Storey finding fellow junior
Regina Camera for a jumper, the Urban Knights opened with a 10-3 advantage. Consistent points from the foul line helped Academy of Art maintain its lead until back-to-back layups and a Tayler Champion 3-pointer made up a 7-0 run to tie the game 20-20.
The ART U response was an 8-0 run highlighted by consecutive triples from senior
Molly O'Brien and Storey. However, that burst was countered by a 12-1 push from the Toros which put them ahead by three, 32-29, with three minutes and 56 seconds left in the first half. Both sides worked hard to finish the period, but Storey and Camera each drained 3-pointers in the final 50 seconds to give Academy of Art a 43-39 halftime lead.
Those triples combined with two jumpers from Forthan to start the second half and soon it was a 12-2 momentum swing for the Knights across the halves. The Knights were unable to hold their double-digit advantage for very long as CSUDH seemed to keep finding an answer. Back-and-forth play then saw just two Toros baskets over a four-minute span that accounted for the only points from either side.
An 8-1 surge midway through the second period was capped by O'Brien setting up Storey for a layup and ART U regained its 10-point lead at 64-54 with seven minutes left. Seven quick unanswered points by Cal State Dominguez Hills kept them within striking distance and, down the stretch, Academy of Art made key defensive plays such as O'Brien's steal to set up a Storey fastbreak layup and Forthan's steal with nine seconds left which came in between clutch free throws made by junior
Zoie Sheng and Storey. The end result was an 81-76 victory that saw balanced performances up and down the roster.
Academy of Art rises to 3-2 after four players scored in double figures led by Storey's 16 points along with 15 points and six assists for Sheng. Forthan and O'Brien had 12 points apiece. Junior
Jasmin Guinn contributed 11 rebounds and eight points while junior
Caron Brown added nine points (4-for-4 FG) and seven rebounds off the bench.
The Toros, who fall to 2-2 on the year, got 18 points apiece from Champion and Talia Rayford.
The Urban Knights will suit up for a pair games this Friday (UC San Diego) and Saturday (Cal State San Bernardino) in the UCSD Thanksgiving Tournament.
