MONMOUTH, Ore. – A dominant second half that featured an 18-1 run put Academy of Art women's basketball over Western Oregon in its first game of the 2019-20 season. Inside the Wolves' New PE Building on Friday night, graduate student guard Tayler Bennett's 19 points led three Urban Knights in double figures offensively as ART U shot nearly 60 percent from the field in the third and fourth quarters.

"I saw a lot of grit, and mental toughness from this team," said head coach Krystle Evans. "Coming back from 15 on their home floor took a lot of guts and discipline. Western Oregon is very disciplined and this will help us prepare for conference."

Off the first shot of the game, junior forward Megan Jefferson would grab the offensive rebound and her subsequently going to the line was a sign of things to come. Attacking the basket early, Academy of Art visited the free throw line 10 times in the first quarter alone and found itself up 16-15 after Bennett and senior guard Josselyn Morris knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers.

A 9-0 WOU run ensued, but that was promptly ended by two more triples from Bennett on consecutive possessions. Composing a half that saw both teams shoot over 44 percent from the field, the Wolves ended on an 8-0 run to enter the halftime locker room up 38-25 WOU.

Western Oregon grew its advantage to 15 points multiple times early in the third, but junior guard/forward Lily Perkins' rebound and layup sparked an 8-0 surge that quickly dropped the margin back to single digits. Late in the quarter, WOU led 55-47, but when freshman forward Aari'yanna Sanders converted a layup, it would start the biggest momentum shift of the game.

The fourth quarter started with Bennett's fastbreak layup on the feed from junior guard Pam Wilmore and Academy of Art went on to rattle off 16 unanswered points with senior guard Brianna Cates, Perkins, Wilmore, and Jefferson all getting in on the offense. When the dust settled, ART U was on top 65-56 and, after making seven of eight free throws in the final minute, the Knights finished off the 72-63 victory.

"At halftime, we talked about the fact that we do nothing, but conditioning drills the first 40 minutes of practice for situations like that," Evans. "We knew we had another gear and we were determined to use it. We have to be a team that is more than a social media hashtag, 'Grit and Grind' is who we are and what we do."

Beginning the year with a 1-0 record, ART U was led by three players who scored in double figures. Bennett was 7-for-13 from the field for 19 points with three triples, three rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Perkins added 13 points, five rebounds, and five steals while Wilmore contributed 15 points (5-for-10 from the field) plus 10 rebounds, three assists, and three steals.

At 0-1 to start the season, Western Oregon was paced by 15 points from Shariah Green and 10 from Rachel Rogers.

The Urban Knights return to the New PE Building on Western Oregon's campus to face Concordia (Ore.) at 1 p.m.