HONOLULU – Ending its Pacific West Conference Hawaii road trip on a triumphant note, Academy of Art women's basketball completed the series sweep of Chaminade with a 52-49 win supported by an 11-point second-half scoring advantage and tough defense that forced the Silverswords to miss 24 shots from the field in the final two quarters.

Though CUH opened the contest ahead 10-2, ART U free throws from senior forward/center Christy Ojide Boiko, junior Alba Rovira Ayuso, and sophomore guard Anna Fornells kept the difference to 13-7 as the first quarter came to a close.

Chaminade pushed a 26-10 advantage midway through the ensuing frame yet a 7-0 run fueled by back-to-back layups from redshirt freshman guard Karereatua Williams and a Rovira Ayuso 3-pointer kept the margin in single digits, 30-22, heading into half.

"The team fought through some early adversity and then with a collective competitiveness we found our way at the back end of the first quarter, and then carried that through to the end of the game," said Head Coach Jesse Clark.

Another 7-0 surge early in the second half featured five points from Rovira Ayuso plus a layup from senior forward Yasmine Sifaoui as the Silverswords clung to a 32-31 score after making just one field goal through the first six minutes of the second half. The Urban Knights claimed their first lead of the game, 35-34, on Rovira Ayuso free throws in the final minute and Chaminade managed to go up 37-35 moving to the fourth.

"My staff did a tremendous job preparing our group defensively and this really helped us to know what was going to be our important focus on the defensive end," Clark said. "To have that translate the way it did in the second half is a credit to our group believing and executing so consistently in that second half of the game."

There, a three-point play by Sifaoui sparked what would become an 11-1 run capped by another three-point play converted by freshman guard Violet Stutz. Eight made free throws over the next four minutes helped put CUH in front 49-48, but following an Ojide Boiko layup along with a free throw, sophomore guard Lucia Revenga drew a critical offensive foul against the Silverswords' top scorer in Sameera Elmasri with a minute to go. That turnover was one of two by Chaminade on consecutive possessions and, as the home team was held to the third-lowest field goal percentage by an ART U opponent in a single quarter (7.7) in program history, Academy of Art held on to triumph 52-49.

"It feels incredible to get this win as it's always tough to win on the road," Rovira Ayuso said. "We've been putting in a lot of work together lately, supporting each other on and off the court and that really showed in the second half. We came out with more energy, fought for every point and every stop all together as a unit. I hope this is a turning point for our season and our team as we keep working."

The Urban Knights improve to 10-10 on the season with a 3-9 conference record after Rovira Ayuso achieved the third double-double of her career (second in a row) with 16 points (including three triples) and 11 rebounds plus two steals. Sifaoui added 11 points, Ojide Boiko provided eight points with five rebounds, and Williams finished with six points, five rebounds, and four assists. Revenga's four steals were her second-highest total of the year.

CUH falls to 6-16 on the season and 5-11 in conference action despite 12 points apiece from the tandem of Morgan Escobedo and Alyssa Schuetze.

ART U returns to the mainland for matchups with local PacWest opponents in Dominican (Feb. 5 at 5 p.m.) and Menlo (Feb. 8 at 1 p.m.) both inside Kezar Pavilion.

"After a challenging stretch on the road, it will be great to carry the momentum from today into our upcoming home games," Clark said. "The opportunity to play at home should provide us with a bit of comfort to keep us moving collectively in the right direction."