HAYWARD, Calif. – Working its way to full strength, Academy of Art women's basketball got a big boost from sophomore forward Lily Perkins who led a second half charge toward a 77-65 victory over Western Oregon inside Cal State East Bay's Pioneer Gym on Saturday. Four Urban Knights scored in double figures as a 24-13 fourth quarter edge helped ART U confidently finish the Veteran's Day Classic.

"We really came together as a team and proved that, when we do that, we have great results," said head coach Camille Williams. "It felt good to come back after a disappointing loss and overcome some adversity in that first game. I'm proud of the team for picking themselves back up, making that extra effort particularly in rebounding, giving the game a deserving fight, and finishing strong."

Three-point shooting was at the forefront of ART U's strong start in this one as three of the Urban Knights' first five made shots were 3-pointers. The 13-9 lead that created was maintained for the remainder of the opening quarter thanks to a 6-2 run that featured layups by junior guards Brianna Cates and Josselyn Morris.

After two points separated the teams at the end of the first (23-21), the lead was exchanged multiple times with Perkins converting three shots from the foul line before a steady 9-2 run by the Wolves eventually put them in front 37-34 at halftime.

Western Oregon held a five-point advantage in the latter portion of the third quarter, but Academy of Art closed it out with six unanswered points on a jumper by Perkins then a 3-pointer and free throw from Cates, leading 53-52 at the start of the fourth. That run turned into an impressive 18-2 push with Cates' third triple of the day and another from Morris.

Up 65-54 with five minutes and 43 seconds on the clock, ART U saw the difference drop to four over the course of the next two minutes, but three clutch layups from junior forward Ines Medina, Cates, and Perkins once again forced the double-digit margin and free throws eventually secured the 77-65 Academy of Art victory.

The Urban Knights complete their first tournament of the season with a 1-1 record and were once again led by 23 points from Cates who connected on 3-of-5 from long range while adding five rebounds and three assists. Perkins, in her first action of the year, offered 16 points and four rebounds off the bench while Medina finished with 11 points as well as a career-high 13 rebounds (five on the offensive glass). Stuart was a defensive stopper, tallying six steals to go with 11 points and four rebounds. Sophomore forward Megan Jefferson worked hard under the basket and ended with a career-high 12 rebounds.

"Lily is a great addition to have back because what she can do on the court contributes to our free-flowing style of play," said Williams. "She is a strong rebounder and her teammates were excited to have her back because she was able to contribute right away and that lifted everyone's confidence. It prompted others to step up as well. Bree continues to shine and has shown she can be highly competitive. Eventually more of our numbers will come back and we'll gain more and more confidence."

After falling in its first contest of the tournament against Cal State East Bay, Western Oregon drops to 0-2 on the year. Offensively, Olivia Denton put in 13 points with nine rebounds while Tresai McCarver came off the bench to score 11 points.

Moving from its first week of the season, ART U turns its attention to a road contest at Chico State on Saturday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m.

"When we can get everyone strong, we'll benefit by having more confidence because teammates will know they have support," said Williams. "Today, both teams were hungry and Western Oregon fought just as hard, but we just had some great execution plays down the stretch and rebounding efforts to solidify control of our possessions. It was a good start for us to come out of this tourney 1-1 and, going into next week, we have to recoup and look at what we can improve. Chico State is going to be a tough competitor, but I simply ask our team to compete at their best and we'll let the chips fall where they may."