ROHNERT PARK, Calif. – Starting strong and steadily maintaining more than a 20-point advantage after an explosive second quarter, Academy of Art women's basketball took down Sonoma State 69-50 inside The Wolves' Den on Thursday evening.

A 3-pointer by junior guard Alba Rovira Ayuso fittingly began the contest and, two minutes later, she hit another to contribute to a 9-2 start for ART U while the Seawolves opened 1-for-7 from the field. The Urban Knights three more layups in the remainder of the quarter to hold a 13-8 lead heading into the second with SSU held to a .231 field goal percentage.

"Really pleased with how we stayed together and composed to start the game," said Head Coach Jesse Clark. "Sonoma can create so many tough actions to guard and our attention to the defensive tactics combined with consistent communication when guarding their actions was a key to our success this evening."

Freshman guard Harper Felch knocked down a triple in Academy of Art's first possession of the second quarter as ART U converted six of its first seven baskets. Two more 3-pointers from freshman guard Violet Stutz and sophomore guard Maddie Morrow then bookended an 8-0 surge and the half ended on back-to-back triples from graduate student guard Emilia Dougherty and Felch, leading the visitors to a 42-22 halftime advantage after converting nearly 58 percent of their shots in a 29-point quarter.

"The second quarter has been a solid one for us this season," Clark said. "Our ability to stay determined to create the type of advantages that create easy shots really helped this evening."

Providing half of the points in a 10-0 start to third quarter, senior forward Yasmine Sifaoui quickly helped increase the lead to 30 points and, though Sonoma State came back with a 13-4 push into the fourth, the margin never dropped below 20 points until under the four-minute mark in regulation. When the final buzzer sounded, Academy of Art had triumphed 69-50 to remain undefeated.

"Starting a season 5-0 is always exciting," Rovira Ayuso said. "We have worked extremely hard this preseason and now is our time to perform. We are all doing our best, being consistent and intentional every single time we step onto the court, and that's elevating our game. Seeing this team compete and win is something that I'm really looking forward to this season."
 
A perfect 5-0 to begin the season, ART U had 10 Knights score in the contest, pushing its streak to also five straight with at least nine on the scoreboard. Sifaoui's 14 points led all players and came with three assists, two steals, and 10 rebounds for her first double-double of the season and third since joining the program. Rovira Ayuso added 13 points including three 3-pointers while two triples apiece came as part of Dougherty and Morrow's eight points each. Felch knocked down two 3-pointers as well, sophomore guard Anna Fornells offered five assists, and freshman forward Keira Mitchell ended with seven rebounds plus two blocks.

"Everyone on this team is amazing," Rovira Ayuso said. "We push each other every day to be better and that's pretty much what defines us as a team. We all can drive, shoot, rebound, and defend, making us a complete team and really hard to play against. We trust each other and that creates such a special connection that we are showing on the court this season."

Sonoma State, now 1-4 overall, shot under 23.5 percent from the field in two different quarters but had 13 points apiece turned in by Madisyn Clark and Alysa Lopez. Eryn Gardner came off the bench to grab 13 rebounds in 19 minutes.

"To get another result this evening is a credit to our entire team and our amazing staff," Clark said. "We will celebrate this result and then focus on the next one."

The Urban Knights finish November's non-conference action by hosting Chico State this Saturday, Nov. 23 at 1 p.m. from Kezar Pavilion.