TURLOCK, Calif. – Despite collecting a season-high 16 steals and forcing 23 turnovers, Academy of Art women's basketball could not find an answer for Cal State East Bay's second quarter momentum shift and strong second half en route to the 63-46 loss at the Pioneers' hand. Graduate student guard Joy Krupa led the Urban Knights with her second straight double-double, stuffing the stat sheet with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and four steals.

It was a hot 7-1 start for ART U as a pair of buckets by Krupa sandwiched a 3-pointer from freshman guard Alyssa Munn, but CSUEB came back to make it 7-7 with much of the opening quarter still to play. After no points were scored over the next two and a half minutes, baskets were traded the rest of the way before the frame ended with the Pioneers slightly ahead 12-11.

Krupa and freshman forward/center Christy Ojide both converted baskets off steals to help ART U retake the lead to start the second, however, CSUEB proceeded to build a 29-20 lead thereafter. Following a layup by junior guard Chanel Stuart in the final 15 seconds, halftime showed a 33-25 advantage for the Pioneers.

The Cal State East Bay lead grew to double figures early in the second half and, though Krupa and Stuart converted to keep the margin there, CSUEB finished the third on a 7-0 run to take a 50-31 score into the fourth. Baskets by freshman guard Brooke Rodgers and Krupa opened the fourth and a three-point play from Krupa helped Academy of Art cut the difference down to 14 points with six minutes left. A triple by junior guard Lauryn Manns came just under the two-minute mark to make it 58-46, but time ran out on the comeback and the Pioneers prevailed 63-46.

Sustaining its first loss of the season, ART U is now 2-1 to open 2021-22. In addition to Krupa's aforementioned success, Manns finished with 12 points plus four steals of her own and Stuart came off the bench to contribute 11 points. Ojide had five rebounds to go with three steals and three blocks.

Moving above .500 with the victory, Cal State East Bay sits at 2-1 after having been led by Madison Schiller's 11 points and Delia Moore's 10 points.

Academy of Art will be back in action as part of the Warrior Classic against tournament host Stanislaus State with a 5 p.m. tip-off tomorrow.