Game #1
ART U Urban Knights (0-0) vs. Cal State East Bay Pioneers (0-0)
Friday, November 11, 2011 at 1:00 PM
San Rafael, CA – Clonan Rec Center
Live Video

Game #2
ART U Urban Knights (0-0) vs. Humboldt State Lumberjacks (0-0)
Saturday, November 12, 2011 at 3:00 PM
San Rafael, CA – Clonan Rec Center
Live Audio
Live Video

ACADEMY OF ART WOMEN'S BASKETBALL BEGINS FOURTH YEAR
Another exciting season of Urban Knight basketball is on the horizon. Following an exhibition contest against Division I University of the Pacific last weekend, ART U now officially opens the season as a participant in the CCAA/PacWest Challenge, a joint effort of the two major Division II conferences on the West Coast. Academy of Art gets started versus Cal State East Bay on Friday and then meets Humboldt State on Saturday.

OPENING TIP
The 2011-12 ART U campaign will begin with a contest against Cal State East Bay on Friday, Nov. 11 which tips off at 1:00 PM. Continuing with the season-opening CCAA/PacWest Challenge, Academy of Art faces Humboldt State on Saturday, Nov. 12 at 3:00 PM. Both contests take place inside Dominican's Clonan Rec Center in San Rafael, CA and particular live coverage (Live Audio & Live Video) will be available for both. 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
The 2011-12 ART U team returns six players including senior guard Devin London, the team leader in steals (47) and sophomore forward Alisa Griggs, third on the squad in offensive rebounds (31). As the first four-year Urban Knight, senior guard Lorraine Etchell approaches history in numerous categories entering this year. She already holds the record for most career games played and currently ranks second in career points (643) and third in both assists (113) and steals (73). Newcomers include two Division I transfers in guard Jordan Rogers, one of the top shooters at University of the Pacific, and Ariel Dale, a forward from Fordham University capable of contributing across the board.

PASSING THE PIONEERS
Cal State East Bay endured a tough 13-game losing streak to open its 2010-11 season, but the Pioneers then earned a 65-55 victory over Cal State Los Angeles to pick up their first CCAA victory. Late in the year, CSUEB won back-to-back games against Chico State and Cal State Stanislaus to eventually finish with a 4-22 overall record. The Pioneers return their best shooter and second leading scorer in Lauren Lucchesi (7.7 points per game, 34 3-pointers made) as well as the top rebounder, Marlene MacMillan who averaged 9.4 rebounds per game (4th in CCAA). Last season, Academy of Art defeated Cal State East Bay 66-56 on Dec. 12 as part of the CCAA/PacWest Challenge on Humboldt State's campus. The Urban Knights shot over 50 percent in the contest and London was one of three ART U players to reach double-digit scoring with 10 points.

GETTING THE JUMP ON THE JACKS
Humboldt State became a bit of an overtime sensation last season, going 3-1 when an extra period was needed. The Jacks finished sixth in the CCAA standings and produced a 15-12 overall record which got started with a 75-60 victory over Saint Martin's to begin the year. When the Knights met Humboldt on Dec. 11, a very even battle took the teams into overtime 63-63 before HSU just edged out ART U for a 76-73 victory. From there, the Jacks would win four consecutive games and later enjoy a stretch of winning six of seven. Humboldt State defeated Academy of Art, UC San Diego, and San Francisco State all in overtime last season. HSU's top two scorers, Lisa Petty (10.9 ppg) and Jeanette DeWitt (10.6 ppg), both return to the squad this season along with Bree Halsey (9.7 rpg), who was third in the CCAA in rebounding ahead of the aforementioned MacMillian. The Jacks face tournament host Dominican on Friday prior to playing ART U.

2010-11 SEASON IN REVIEW
A resurgent second half of the conference season led the Urban Knights to a 9-7 PacWest record last year along with the program's best overall record (11-14) in its three-year history. ART U won six of its last eight games including four consecutive to close things out and captured several post-season PacWest honors in the process. Highlights from the year featured a 93-73 first victory over Corban, nearly knocking off then-ranked #10 Hawaii Pacific into overtime at Kezar Pavilion, and later holding Chaminade to the fewest points by an opponent in program history.

LOOKING AHEAD
Academy of Art faces another CCAA school in Cal State Monterey Bay on Tuesday, Nov. 15. Then two tournaments await the Knights when they finish this opening week of games. First ART U travels to St. George, UT for the Dixie State Thanksgiving Tournament (Nov. 25-26) where they will play Cal State Los Angeles and Western Oregon. Then, early December has Academy of Art in Alaska for the AT&T Hoops Classic (Dec. 9-10) against Alaska Fairbanks and Alaska Anchorage.