BELMONT, Calif. — It was a tough way to open the season for the new look Cal State Monterey Bay women's basketball team, which dropped a 73–56 decision to No. 26 Academy of Art Friday afternoon at the Lady Argo Classic in Notre Dame de Namur University's Gleason Gym.

Eleven different players scored in CSUMB's balanced offense. Senior guard Nikki Beckman (Dublin/Ohlone College), in her first game back from a major knee injury that curt short her junior campaign, led the way with nine points. Victoria Dorn (Seaside HS) chipped in four assists while Jazmine Johnson (Garden Grove/Santa Ana College) came off the bench to grab eight rebounds.

With 11 new faces among the 16 players on the roster, CSUMB figured to get out to a slow start. But the Otters hung tough for a half, leading for a good chunk of the period before the Urban Knights scored the final five points to send CSUMB to the lockerroom down just 31–26. 

ArtU's run to end the first half began a 13–2 run around the interval that gave the Urban Knights the lead for the duration. ArtU's lead hovered between seven and 14 points for most of the second half before a late run got the final margin to settle at 17.

"We played really well in spurts today, but we lacked the consistency for 40 minutes to beat a great team like Academy of Art," said CSUMB Head Coach Kerri Nakamoto (@CoachKNakamoto). "We will need to rebound the ball better and adjust our transition defense for our next game tomorrow."

The Otters finish play at the Lady Argo Classic by facing host NDNU Saturday at 2 p.m.