OAKLAND, Calif. – The final game of 2022 was a memorable one for Academy of Art women's basketball as the Urban Knights pulled away from Holy Names down the stretch with a 30-9 scoring difference in the final quarter of a 79-50 Pacific West Conference victory inside Tobin Gymnasium on Friday. While the Urban Knights were holding the Hawks to fewer than 10 points in multiple quarters, sophomore forward/centers Alisha Wilson and Christy Ojide were busy achieving career-high point totals along with doubled-doubles, accounting for 50 points and 34 rebounds collectively.

"Once we figured out who the shooters were and who the drivers were, along with staying on our feet on closeouts, we were able to adjust and keep Holy Names in front of us," said Head Coach Lindsey Foster.

Representing a sign of things to come, Ojide and Wilson each scored layups for ART U's first points of the day, but four 3-pointers over an ensuing six-minute span allowed HNU to build a 19-14 lead. Sophomore guard Jadence Clifton converted a layup in the final minute to cut the deficit to three at the end of the first quarter.

Of the first 11 points scored by Academy of Art in the second frame, 10 were from the hands of Wilson whose layup just under the four-minute mark was complemented by freshman guard Madison Johnson's layup for a 9-0 run to put the visitors up 29-24. Though Johnson knocked down a triple thereafter, Holy Names made it just a four-point game, 32-28, with their own conversions in the half's last three minutes.

The Hawks' seventh 3-pointer rained down in the latter portion of the third quarter, bringing them to within three, but a strong close to the frame saw senior guard Lauryn Manns hit a triple before Clifton put in a pair at the foul line and Johnson reached the basket yet again for a 7-2 surge.

That shift became 11-2 with layups by Wilson and Manns to open the fourth then 13 unanswered points powered a breakout final quarter for ART U. The Knights could not be stopped down the stretch as all 12 of their points to end the game came in the paint, capping Academy of Art's second time scoring 30 or more in a single quarter (first since 31 in the second versus Chaminade on Dec. 10) and powering a 79-50 triumph.

"The difference in the third and fourth quarters was feeding our bigs," Foster said. "We talked at halftime about having a post presence and throwing the ball inside because of the mismatches we had. We needed to take advantage of that so it could open up our perimeter play."

Finishing the calendar year at 2-9 overall and 2-4 in conference play, ART U was led by Wilson's career-high 28 points, on 13-for-21 shooting from the field, which surpassed her previous top mark of 26 points achieved her last time out against Chaminade on Dec. 10. Accounting for her fifth double-double of the season, her 22 rebounds tied for the third-highest in program history, one back of the Academy of Art single-game record shared by Pre'Franz Dominick and Alisa Griggs (23). Ojide finished with her own career-high of 22 points, on 10-for-18 shooting from the floor, besting the 21 she poured in versus Stanislaus State earlier this year on Nov. 19 while her 12 rebounds resulted in her first double-double of the season. Each scoring 10 points with six rebounds and three steals apiece, Johnson and Clifton (five assists as well) stuffed the stat sheet in the victory.

"Alisha and Christy played awesome today," Foster said. "It was so great to see them blossom with their post presence this game. We executed some great things that made it possible for them to have the game that they each had."

For HNU, who drops to 1-13 on the season and 0-6 in PacWest, four 3-pointers from Samantha Lemay-Zambrano helped her offer a team-high 13 points off the bench.

The Urban Knights start the new calendar year in Fresno on Jan. 2 with their first matchup of the season against Fresno Pacific starting at 2 p.m.