MONMOUTH, Ore. – Less than five minutes into its first game of the 2023-24 season, Academy of Art women's basketball led Western Oregon by double digits, but the Wolves spent the 35 minutes that followed steadily building and maintaining their eventual 94-74 winning margin during the Friday finale of the GNAC/PacWest Conference Challenge inside their New PE Building.

When sophomore guard Alba Rovira Ayuso wasn't converting baskets in the paint, three-point makes from junior forward Yasmine Sifaoui, freshman guard Maddie Morrow, and junior forward/center Christy Ojide were quickly pushing a 14-2 advantage for the Urban Knights in the game's opening moments. Free throws by graduate student guard Briana Baker-Bruce soon accounted for ART U's largest margin of 14 points.

"We went into the contest with a commitment to get out to a quick start by executing our foundational strategies on both ends of the court," said Head Coach Jesse Clark. "I think we absolutely did that to begin the game."

An 11-0 response by WOU was stopped by Ojide's second triple of the first quarter and successive baskets by Rovira Auyso and Baker-Bruce in the first two minutes of the second helped maintain the Academy of Art lead until a 9-0 Wolves surge approaching halftime. Though the home team found itself up 46-32, the final 30 seconds belonged to the Knights with freshman guard Lucia Revenga knocking down free throws then stealing the ball and finding Sifaoui for a buzzer-beating layup.

Momentum shifted back to Western Oregon in the form of a 11-2 push to open the second half before both Rovira Ayuso and Morrow scored in the paint on back-to-back possessions. Triples by Morrow and graduate student Emilia Dougherty came in the final minute of the third quarter yet WOU still led 71-50 heading to the fourth where the difference hovered around 20 points despite a 7-0 Knights run and ultimately ended with WOU on top 94-74.

Academy of Art, 0-1 overall to start the year, was led by Ojide's 16 points on 6-for-8 shooting from the field with four rebounds and three assists in 20 minutes off the bench. Rovira Ayuso provided 15 points and five rebounds while Revenga stuffed the stat sheet with nine points, five steals, four rebounds, and three assists. Of the eight Knights to score and record at least one rebound in the contest, Morrow's two 3-pointers contributed to her nine points and Baker-Bruce matched Rovira Auyso with five rebounds.

"Very pleased with our ability to score the ball with our entire roster contributing," Clark said. "This will serve to be a big reason all season why we can look to anyone on the roster for a good offensive performance and be difficult to stop. We look forward to the challenge tomorrow."

Western Oregon begins its season 1-0 after seeing Cali McClave turn in a game-high 28 points plus seven assists and Bella Pedrojetti add 16 points off the bench.

Back in action at noon tomorrow, ART U tips off against Saint Martin's, who fell to Westmont 62-61 on Friday, to conclude their part in the GNAC/PacWest Conference Challenge.