AZUSA, Calif. -- Despite out-scoring No. 23 Azusa Pacific 25-11 in fourth quarter on Thursday evening inside the Felix Event Center, Academy of Art women's basketball could not overcome an early game deficit, falling 77-47 to the Cougars.

Out of the gate, the Urban Knights were met by a 19-1 APU run, but junior forward Ines Medina's 3-pointer came before the end of the first quarter. APU's lead further extended in the second quarter, but ART U was able to add points on a shot from beyond the arc by senior guard Inga Kot. The play was followed by jumper from sophomore forward Megan Jefferson and, as the half came to a close, Perkins put in a layup to make it a 44-13 halftime score.

Three consecutive layups by Perkins highlighted the third quarter for Academy of Art, but the difference was 66-22 moving into the fourth where the script shifted. Perkins started things with back-to-back layups as part of a 10-0 run spanning the first two and a half minutes of the final quarter. ART U would find its rhythm, holding APU to just 11 points the rest of the game while having four of five starters get in on the scoring. But despite the new energy coming from the Knights, they were unable to overcome the early deficit and the Cougars prevailed 77-47. 

Heading into its final game of the regular season, Academy of Art is 4-20 overall and 3-18 in PacWest play. Perkins finished with a team-high 23 points on 9-of-18 shooting from the field and seven rebounds. Medina followed with 12 points plus another seven rebounds, freshman guard Chanel Stuart added seven points along with three steals, and Jefferson contributed a team-high nine rebounds.

With the victory, Azusa Pacific claimed sole possession of the PacWest regular season title, improving to 20-1 in conference play and 23-4 overall. Four Cougars scored in double figures led by Laura Pranger's 17 points to go with seven rebounds while Savannah Hanson nearly logged a triple-double by way of her 11 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists.

The Urban Knights will complete their roadtrip and season at Biola on Saturday, Mar. 2 with tip-off set for 5:30 p.m.