FRESNO, Calif. – Academy of Art is back into the PacWest Championships final for the first time in eight years after the third-seeded Urban Knights secured a 77-62 win over No. 7 Point Loma on Friday night in the Special Events Center.
 
The Urban Knights used a 13-2 run at the end of the first quarter to take control of the game, leading 21-11. Academy of Art never led by less than six points for the rest of the game and pulled away in the final minutes to extend the lead to as much as 19 with a significant portion of those fourth-quarter points coming at the free-throw line.
 
With the win, Academy of Art improves to 18-9 on the season with a seven-game active winning streak, and the Urban Knights advance to play the winner of No. 1 Azusa Pacific and No. 5 Biola. They have never lost in the championship game of the conference tournament. Point Loma finishes the season with a 15-14 record after having upset the No. 2 seed Dominican in the quarterfinals.
 
Brooke Rodgers led all scorers with 22 points for the Urban Knights. She drew eight fouls, helping cause nearly the entire starting lineup for Point Loma to be in foul trouble. Rodgers went 10 for 15 from the free throw line.
 
Point Loma pounded the ball into the paint and scored 42 of 62 points in the key. In contrast, Academy of Art had a higher field-goal percentage outside the arc than on the inside.
 
Academy of Art went 9 for 21 from 3-point territory with that effort being led by Milan Tuttle who went 4 for 8. Tuttle finished the game with 18 points and had two steals. Lauryn Manns had 16 points, while Chanel Stuart scored 15 points with seven rebounds. Christy Ojide played a key part in slowing down the Sea Lions offense in the paint, making three blocks and a steal with eight rebounds.
 
Cara Liggins led Point Loma in scoring with 19 points, going 8 for 14 from the field with seven rebounds and two blocks. She finishes her career as one of the most accomplished players in conference history as a four-time All-PacWest selection and 2021 Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the entire PacWest. She finishes her career with 1832 points and 993 rebounds, which ranks seventh and third in PacWest history, respectively.