OAKLAND, Calif. – Focused, dynamic, and united, Academy of Art women's basketball had a game to remember Tuesday night against Holy Names.

The Urban Knights remained locked in for the full 40 minutes, registering a pair of program records with 39 turnovers forced and 28 of those steals while holding the Hawks to single-digit point totals in the final two quarters en route to an 84-39 Pacific West Conference victory inside Tobin Gymnasium. The defense led to offense as ART U scored 43 points off those turnovers with redshirt freshman guard Kaila Murrell's career-high 21 points leading all scorers.

"Today talked about how it's the first day of Black History Month and the beauty of BHM is celebrating the legacy of Black pioneers," said Head Coach Krystle Evans. "Our challenge for the day was thinking about how we want to build our own legacy. Breaking two records in one night is the epitome of legacy building."

The game's lone lead change came less than two minutes in because a 7-0 run from Academy of Art capped by a 3-pointer off the hands of junior guard Chanel Stuart proved to be a decisive shift. A 9-2 push over the final four minutes featured two baskets for freshman forward/center Alisha Wilson and ART U was on top 22-11 after one quarter.

Freshman guard Alyssa Munn had two of her steals immediately lead to layups in the middle part of the second frame, but the Hawks managed seven unanswered points during a 30-second span which cut their deficit to 30-20. During a 12-0 response from Academy of Art, freshman guard Milan Tuttle also turned steals into points, assisting teammates Murrell and Stuart on the other end all to help build a 46-24 halftime advantage.

"Milan did a really good job of setting the tone for us with her on ball defense and getting us to the right places offensively," Evans said. "I thought we did a good job of spreading the floor and moving the ball as a team, but it started with Milan's leadership."

For as tough as the ART U defense was in the first half, it moved to a whole new level in the second. The Knights forced three turnovers in the first two minutes and were soon on their way to a 30-point lead with a triple from Tuttle midway through. Academy of Art held Holy Names scoreless for three minutes thereafter and Murrell ended the quarter with seven points during a 9-0 run that yielded a 66-30 margin.

That surge became 14-0 with Wilson and Tuttle scoring in tandem to open the fourth and things became academic thereafter as ART U won by 45 points, 84-39, with the 39 turnovers bettering the previous program record of 37 twice achieved in 2012-13. The Knights' 28 steals also surpassed the previous top mark of 27 which came in one of those contests versus HNU on Dec. 8, 2012. The overall margin of victory was the highest of the season with 84 points representing the top mark and 39 the fewest allowed (tied for fourth-fewest in program history).

Now 6-2 since the start of 2022, Academy of Art rises to 11-7 overall and 8-3 in PacWest play with one less loss than a three-way tie for third in the standings. Murrell went 8-for-17 from the field with three 3-pointers for 21 points while finishing as one of six Knights to collect three or more steals. Wilson's ninth double-double of the season was highlighted by her highest point total of the year with 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the floor to go with 10 rebounds and four steals.

Tuttle's 12 points came with season-bests of five assists and five steals plus five rebounds and it was 12 points also for Stuart who added six rebounds, three steals, and two blocks. The night's steals leader was Munn who posted a new career-high of six thefts with eight points while freshman guard Brooke Rodgers contributed seven points, six rebounds, and four steals of her own.

Sustaining its 17th straight loss to start the season, Holy Names moves to 0-17 and 0-9 against conference opponents. Jazmine Soto led the Hawks with 11 points despite nine turnovers.

"We are hoping to use this game as momentum as we head into a big weekend," Evans said. "Keep up our defensive intensity to manufacture our offense playing a back-to-back."

In the Bay Area for its next five games, ART U will face Dominican in San Rafael this Saturday, Feb. 5 at 1 p.m. before hosting Concordia on Sunday, Feb. 6 back inside Tobin Gymnasium at 1:30 p.m.