ARTU (12-8, 8-4 PacWest) came into the contest trailing PLNU (16-3, 10-2 PacWest) by just one game in the PacWest standings, but the Sea Lions separated themselves as the next tier above the competition with the convincing win. This was Point Loma's 11th win it its last 12 contests.
 
PLNU scored the first nine points of the game and never looked back en route to posting its season-high in points (98). The Sea Lions built a 52-24 lead at the half as they forced ARTU into 14 turnovers while committing just five. The same the Sea Lions' dominance continued in the second half as they held the Urban Knights to eight points in the third quarter and went up by as many as 48 in the fourth.
 
"Right now we are just moving the ball so well and have so many scoring options that it is tough to defend us," said first-year Point Loma head coach Lisa Faulkner. "We have been preaching all year it is not about the scoreboard but about how we play together, and this team is starting to bond. They trust each other 1-14, and it is awesome to see all the energy on the bench. It is fun to coach and fun to watch.
 
"Academy of Art is a good team and we knew were going to have to play well, but we also knew if we played well and did our job we could score some points on this team," Faulkner added.
 
Roya Rustamzada just missed the third triple-double in Point Loma women's basketball history with 20 points (9-of-15), 10 assists and eight rebounds. She also added three blocks and three steals. In the end, it was her ninth double-double of the season.
 
Alex Brunk hit 7-of-8 shots from the field to finish with 18 points and six rebounds. Kassidy Gengenbacher recorded her ninth straight game in double-figures, and 17th of the season, with 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting, including two 3-pointers. Sydney Tonack also posted 13 points (5-of-7) while grabbing six boards. Anna Viettry chipped in with seven assist, and Madison West added to her school record with three more 3-pointers.
 
Point Loma held Academy of Art to 20.6 percent shooting in the game, while hitting 62.3 percent of its shots. The Sea Lions also recorded 38 made baskets compared to just 13 for ARTU, and outscored them 48-6 on points in the paint. This was the 13th time in 19 games the Sea Lions have held their opponent to 58 points or less.
 
"It is nice when shots are going in and we are playing really good basketball," Faulkner explained, " but it all starts with our defense. Our defensive energy was great all game, and that leads to transition and good offense.
 
"Our guards did an awesome job of getting through ball screens, our posts were there to help, we helped the helper and we were in the right rotations," Faulkner added. "We put emphasis of sprinting back on transition and after the first quarter we did our job and forced them to play half-court offense."
 
Rodericka Ware led ARTU with 11 points, but she was just 4-of-14 from the field. Alana Simon added 10 points on 2-of-10 shooting.
 
The Sea Lions will continue their homestand on Monday, Jan. 30 when it hosts Notre Dame de Namur at 7:30 p.m.
 
"We just need to stay focused and diligent in practice," Faulkner concluded. "This is the time of year that you are playing so many games that you don't get a lot of practice time, so we need to be very efficient with the time we do get and keep playing team-basketball. When we play that way we are really, really tough to beat."