BELMONT, Calif. – Down by 13 points at halftime, Academy of Art women's basketball used lockdown defense and strong offensive rebounding to outscore Hawaii Pacific 40-20 in the second half, rallying with an 8-2 run in the final three minutes of regulation en route to a 66-59 Pacific West Conference victory. Freshman forward/center Alisha Wilson erupted for a season-best 20 points plus 11 rebounds and four steals while freshman guard Brooke Rodgers finished with 13 points in addition to six rebounds, four assists, and three steals.

ART U made four of its first five shots from the field to jump out to an 8-4 lead, but consecutive 3-pointers powered the Sharks' 8-0 response. Though Wilson repeatedly scored down low, another triple by HPU in the final 30 seconds had the visitors ahead 21-16 moving to the second quarter.

After trading baskets early, Hawaii Pacific made another move with seven unanswered before Wilson converted two layups to keep the margin at single digits. The Sharks, however, rained down three 3-pointers in the final two minutes to achieve a 39-26 advantage at the break.

The difference was quickly back to nine with Wilson and Rodgers getting into the paint to score then freshman forward/center Christy Ojide and Wilson added more high-percentage buckets. Academy of Art then clamped down its defense to allow HPU just one shot attempt over a two-minute span while triples from junior guard Lauryn Manns and freshman guard Milan Tuttle powered an 8-0 surge. Though ART U did not get the lead in the third quarter, only two points separated the teams heading to the fourth.

"Before the game we talked about Maya Angelou," said Head Coach Krystle Evans. "How her writings provide us with a reference point when we face challenges as a people. We referenced Maya Angelou at halftime and talked about the significance of falling back on our foundation laid out in the scout. I'm very proud of the team for trusting their preparation and responding to adversity."

The Knights did have the advantage a minute into the fourth as Wilson scored on a putback and a Tuttle steal led to a 3-pointer from redshirt freshman Kaila Murrell. Fighting through three ties over the next four minutes, Academy of Art moved up 58-56 on a Wilson jumper and though HPU came to within one point twice thereafter, another Murrell triple plus Rodgers' success contributing to the team's 50th point in the paint in the final minute sent her squad confidently collect the 66-59 victory.

"Brooke and Alisha made every hustle play down the stretch," Evans said. "Their energy was contagious and their performance was gutsy. Brooke played 38 minutes and had zero turnovers. Alisha played with four fouls to finish the game and maintained her intensity without fouling out. The two of them are the epitome of tough."

Having clinched a spot in the PacWest Tournament earlier this week, ART U pushes its record to 13-9 overall and 10-5 in conference play to once again tie with Biola for the fourth spot in the standings. Academy of Art racked up 26 second chance points on 22 offensive rebounds, achieving that mark for the eighth time in 2021-22.

The 22 points (on 11-for-18 shooting from the field) and 11 rebounds made up Wilson's 11th double-double of the season while her four steals marked her fourth time with four or more thefts. Rodgers had her own strong shooting night at 6-for-10 from the field to compose her 13 points. Murrell added 10 points off the bench, Tuttle grabbed a season-high eight rebounds to go with her eight points and three steals, and Ojide posted eight points as well.

"Our main focus going into the conference tournament is daily improvement," Evans said. "Each one of us committed to being at ART U to get us back to being a contender. It takes daily improvement to accomplish our goal."

At 6-17 overall and 3-13 in PacWest play, Hawaii Pacific was paced by 18 points, eight rebounds, and five assists from Tavia Rowell, but she added six of the team's 20 turnovers.

Academy of Art will next play its makeup game with Fresno Pacific this Sunday, Feb. 20 at 2 p.m. inside the Sunbirds' Special Events Center.