Game #3
ART U Urban Knights (1-1) vs. Cal State Monterey Bay Otters (0-0)
Tuesday, November 15, 2011 at 7:00 PM
Seaside, CA – Otter Sports Center
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ANOTHER CLASH OF PACWEST AND CCAA SCHOOLS ON TAP
Academy of Art women's basketball started off its 2011-12 campaign with two second half comebacks. The first led ART U to its 52-44 victory over Cal State East Bay and then the second was just not long enough to win as Humboldt State prevailed over the Urban Knights 68-56. Though the tournament pitting schools in the Pacific West Conference against those in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) may have concluded, Academy of Art faces its third CCAA opponent in five days with the formidable Cal State Monterey Bay on Tuesday.

OPENING TIP
The Knights are scheduled to match up with Cal State Monterey Bay Tuesday, Nov. 15 for a 7:00 PM tipoff inside the Otter Sports Center in Seaside, CA. Live Stats will be available. Remember to check @UrbanKnightNews on Twitter for score updates and recaps. Also become a fan of the Knights on Facebook by 'Like'-ing the Urban Knights page.

KNIGHT WATCH
Senior guard Devin London and sophomore forward Alisa Griggs, both PacWest Weekly Top 10 selections, spearheaded a strong defensive effort in ART U's victory over the Pioneers to start the year. London registered eight steals, the new Academy of Art single-game record, and added 12 points. Six of her thefts came in the second half alone. Griggs posted a game-high 14 points and would lead the team in scoring for both contests. She averaged the fifth most points in the PacWest for the week (13.0 ppg) and added 2.0 steals per game as well.

OUSTING THE OTTERS
Under the tutelage of head coach Renee Jimenez, Cal State Monterey Bay women's basketball has simply thrived. The Otters have won 56 games in three years with Coach Jimenez at the helm and climbed as high as a #19 national ranking last season when they captured the CCAA regular season title and headed to the NCAA Tournament. CSUMB began 2010-11 by winning 16 consecutive games including a thrilling 92-91 overtime victory over UC San Diego on Dec. 3 in front of an Otter home crowd. Monterey Bay steamrolled through CCAA opponents before finally sustaining a loss to Cal Poly Pomona on Jan. 28, however, another eight-game win streak was to come later. Though CSUMB was topped by Pomona again in the CCAA Tournament, the Otter would advance to the NCAA Tournament, defeat #13 Dixie State 68-59, and then fall to #7 Grand Canyon 55-35 in the end. No one player averaged over 10 points per game on the 2011-12 Otters team as Monterey Bay had the best scoring defense in the CCAA. Holly Holcomb, who led the team in steals (43) and was second in blocks (23), represents one of CSUMB's top returners. The Knights and Otters met just one previous time when CSUMB defeated ART U 74-62 as part of the 2008 Cal State Stanislaus Tournament.

ART U SPLITS IN CCAA/PACWEST CHALLENGE
With a 52-44 victory over Cal State East Bay on Friday and then a 68-56 loss to Humboldt State, Academy of Art exited its first tournament of the year, the CCAA/PacWest Challenge, at 1-1 overall. The Knights trailed the Pioneers 22-20 at halftime, but surged back with hard-nosed defense in the second period, forcing 19 turnovers that led to 19 ART U points. The victory was not only Academy of Art's first of the season, but also the first for new head coach LaNay Larson.

“I felt really good about starting the season with a win,” said Coach Larson. “It's great to beat a West Region team and a team that has improved tremendously since last year. It was a good battle, but I thought we were able to really step up our defensive pressure in the second half.”

Against Humboldt, ART U struggled in the first half, falling behind 42-22 at the break. However, the Urban Knights fought back in the second half with a late 18-7 run that brought them to within 10 points. Unfortunately for Academy of Art, there just was not enough time to make up the deficit and the Jacks prevailed 68-56.

LOOKING AHEAD
A 10-day break comes up next after a busy opening week for Academy of Art. The trip that follows will take place Nov. 25-26 and has the Knights in St. George, UT for the Dixie State Thanksgiving Tournament. ART U matches up against Cal State Los Angeles and Western Oregon.