Game #8
ART U Urban Knights (3-4) vs. Saint Martin's Saints (5-5)
Wednesday, December 14, 2011 at 7:00 PM
San Francisco, CA – Kezar Pavilion
Live Stats
Live Audio
Twitter Updates

Game #9
ART U Urban Knights (3-4) vs. California Baptist Lancers (4-1)
Saturday, December 17, 2011 at 1:00 PM
Riverside, CA – Van Dyne Gym
Live Stats
Live Video

ART U TO PLAY FIRST HOME GAME WEDNESDAY, CBU SATURDAY
With a challenging AT&T Hoops Classic which pit Academy of Art University women's basketball against two Alaska opponents from the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) now a memory, the Urban Knights prepare to play the year's first home game this Wednesday. ART U meets the Saint Martin's Saints for the third time in program history before tipping off Pacific West Conference play this Saturday at new conference member Cal Baptist.

OPENING TIP
In their first home game of the 2011-12 season, ART U matches up against Saint Martin's on Wednesday, Dec. 14 at 7:00 PM inside Kezar Pavilion (Fan Bus signups here). Then, this Saturday, Dec. 17, PacWest play begins as the Knights travel to Riverside, CA for their conference opener against Cal Baptist. That game is scheduled for 1:00 PM inside Van Dyne Gym. Live Stats as well as Live Audio will be available for Wednesday's contest while Live Stats and Live Video will be running Saturday. 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
Academy of Art remains one of the top hustle teams in the PacWest, out in front with 12.6 steals and 5.3 blocks per game. After leading the team offensively in both contests this past weekend and earning a PacWest Weekly Top 10 honor, sophomore forward Alisa Griggs remains atop the points per game leaders (14.1). Her career-high of 14 rebounds which came against Alaska Fairbanks (Dec. 9) spring-boarded her into the team lead as well as the list of Top 10 PacWest rebounders with 7.7 rpg. Entrenched as the conference steals leader (3.0 spg), senior guard Devin London averages the second-most points per game on the squad (11.4). After finding her rhythm in Alaska, junior guard Jordan Rogers has made her versatility known with 9.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per contest thus far as well as seven 3-pointers made which ties her with London. Junior guard Nicol Biesek, another versatile player, holds the team lead in assists (20) and blocks (9). Finally, as a historical milestone, senior guard Lorraine Etchell officially moved into #1 on the ART U career points leaders this past weekend. She has scored 695 points to date in her four years as an Urban Knight.

SILENCING THE SAINTS
One of the better defensive teams in the GNAC, Saint Martin's is second only to Alaska Anchorage in terms of points allowed (57.5). Though SMU started with four consecutive losses in the Disney DII Tip-Off West Coast Tip-Off Classic (Hawaii Pacific, Washburn, Cal State Dominguez Hills) and at Nevada, they have since gone 5-1 with early victories over Warner Pacific (50-47) and Northwest (78-65). Most recently, the Saints split to start conference play, losing to Northwest Nazarene 51-41 and defeating Central Washington 57-50, before topping Pacific Lutheran by a resounding 77-48 score on Dec. 8. Among the top 10 scorers in the GNAC, Chelsea Haskey currently averages 14.6 points and 8.6 rebounds per game to lead the Saints. She has scored over 15 points in each of the last five games and led the team in rebounding for nine out of 10 contests thus far. Saint Martin's will play Dominican tonight at 7:00 PM before facing the Urban Knights on Wednesday. This is the third meeting between Academy of Art and Saint Martin's with the Saints holding a 2-0 edge in the series.

OUTLASTING THE LANCERS
Despite being a team competing for the first time in the PacWest, Cal Baptist figures to be a major test for any opponent. Currently at 4-1 on the year, the Lancers opened the season with a 68-59 loss at the hands of Simon Fraser in the Notre Dame de Namur Tournament before winning its next four contests by an average margin of over 25 points per game. CBU rolled over Holy Names (90-67), La Sierra twice (81-52, 86-53), and then Hope International 71-53 on Dec. 8. With a variety of scoring options, the Lancers have seen Alexis Johnson (10.4 ppg), Simone Holmes (14.8 ppg), Brittney Lewis (9.2 ppg), and Myriah Hicks (15.4 ppg) all finish as the team's top offensive producers. Hicks serves as the PacWest's leading scorer thus far for a Cal Baptist team which unsurprisingly paces the conference in points per game (77.4). This is the first ever meeting between Academy of Art and Cal Baptist.

KNIGHTS EXPERIENCE CHILLY ALASKA TRIP
After rallying back for two victories in the Dixie State Thanksgiving Classic at the end of November, the Urban Knights found themselves in similar situations during the AT&T Hoops Classic in Anchorage, AK. ART U first faced Alaska Fairbanks on Dec. 9 and though they trailed by eight at halftime, 32-24, the Knights put forth a strong second period to cut the deficit down to two points on multiple occasions. In fact, a quick 6-0 Academy of Art run capped by a Rogers 3-pointer had ART U within two and 10 minutes still remained in the contest. Though the Knights fought hard, UAF refused to relinquish its lead and used a 5-0 burst late to seal the 68-62 deal. The next night pit Academy of Art against its toughest opponent of the non-conference season and tournament host, #10 Alaska Anchorage. ART U got ahead to start, but UAA responded with a 27-7 run which the Urban Knights tried to battle back against. However, midway through the second half, the Seawolves had built a 30-point advantage and they would come away with the 90-53 victory in the end.

LOOKING AHEAD