DAVIS, Calif. – Going up against defending Big West Champions UC Davis in an exhibition contest, Academy of Art women's basketball was within a single point of the Aggies after one quarter and impressed particularly on the defensive end with 18 turnovers forced, but the home team ended up prevailing 69-51 on Tuesday inside the University Credit Union Center.

A fast-paced game to start saw the Aggies go up 6-0, but the gap was quickly closed to 8-6 by a jumper from redshirt freshman Kaila Murrell then consecutive fastbreak buckets by freshman forward/center Alisha Wilson and junior guard Lauryn Manns. The margin became a single point on three more occasions as 3-pointers from freshman guards Brooke Rodgers and Alyssa Munn rained down to eventually make it 15-14 UCD moving to the second quarter.

A three-point play by the defending Big West Player of the Year Cierra Hall held off ART U initially, but different Urban Knights continued to step up as junior guard Chanel Stuart converted a jumper in the paint and graduate student guard Joy Krupa added her first basket. Munn collected Academy of Art's seventh steal in the first 16 minutes and scored in transition to cut UC Davis' lead down to 23-21, but a three-minute ART U scoring drought then allowed UCD to build a 10-point advantage. Murrell nailed a triple and Manns broke away for a layup in the final minute and the scoreboard favored the home team 35-26 at the half.

Like the start of the game, the Aggies gained further separation by way of a 6-0 run to open the third, but that was stopped by a Rodgers jumper. Academy of Art would then keep UC Davis scoreless for the final four and a half minutes as a 9-0 ART U push highlighted by a Krupa three-point play transformed a double-digit lead to single digits at 50-41 with the fourth quarter to play.

The first 11 points of that quarter, however, went to UCD as the margin rose back up to 61-41. Triples by Murrell and Rodgers sparked a 10-2 rebuttal from the Knights, but the Aggies ended the evening with five straight points to claim a 69-51 victory.

The Urban Knights were led by Murrell's 10 points with two 3-pointers while Rodgers added nine including a 2-for-2 effort from long range. Krupa finished with a game-high 13 rebounds plus six points and three steals and Wilson was 4-for-5 from the field for eight points. Munn contributed seven points with two steals and freshman guard Milan Tuttle dished out four assists.

For UC Davis, Lena Svanholm provided 16 points in 18 minutes off the bench, Evanne Turner scored 14 points with three steals, and Sydney Burns delivered 12 points.

Academy of Art officially begins its 2021-22 season this Saturday, Nov. 13 when the Urban Knights host Cal State Monterey Bay at 6:30 p.m. inside Walter Gleason Gym in Belmont..