TIPPING OFF
The Urban Knights broke into the win column with an 84-83 victory over Canadian foe Simon Fraser last week, riding the performances of Ameer Shamsud-din (22 pts), Czar Robotham (20 pts), and William Overton, Jr. (20 pts), who became the first ART U trio to break the 20-point barrier in the same game. Academy of Art came back home to San Francisco triumphant with their first ever international victory. Their trip to Cal Baptist is featured as the PacWest Game of the Week.

LUCKY NUMBER SEVEN
Academy of Art only sent seven players up to Canada, and all of them got on that stat sheet in one way or another. Forward Noah Koné-Nelson and guards Aaron Anderson and Roget Romain were unable to make the trip up north, and the Knights went into the game short-handed. It didn't matter for ART U as six out of seven present players scored, and Mike Jorritsma, the only player that didn't score, had some key rebounds off the bench for the Knights. All seven played double-digit minutes, and head coach Mark Sembrowich emphasized that everyone's effort was needed to finish off the Clan.

COLD WEATHER, HOT HAND
It was 37 degrees at halftime as the Urban Knights faced off with Simon Fraser in frigid British Columbia, but the Knights came out with a hot hand and shot over 60% for the first time this year. ART U went 33-for-64 from the floor (61.1%) and played a much shorter game than usual, only shooting seven shots from beyond the arc and sinking three of them for a 42.9% mark, both of which by far their best percentages of the season. Every player except one shot over 50%, and the Knights had outstanding high-percentage games from Robotham (10-for-13), Shamsud-din (7-for-11), Overton (7-for-14) and B.J. Prema (4-for-4).

THIRD TIME'S A CHARM
The Urban Knights have played three games that came down to the final minute, and the first two ended in disappointment for ART U before their win over Simon Fraser. Against Fort Lewis on the Friday following Thanksgiving, Overton's would-be game-winner rattled out at the buzzer to secure the win for the Skyhawks. Less than a week later the Knights lost another heartbreaker to Menlo as the game slipped away in the final 30 seconds. But Academy of Art stayed staved off the Simon Fraser push in the second half to come away with the win.

URBAN KNIGHTS MAKING THE GRADE
Guards Ameer Shamsud-din and William Overton, Jr. have both made three straight PacWest Weekly Top 10 Honor Rolls, and Czar Robotham made his first of the year last week after his 20-point effort against the Clan. In the first five Honor Rolls of the season, the Knights have had a player represent them on four of them, with Shamsud-din making Player of the Week once as well.

GIVE AND TAKE, BUT WE'LL TAKE MORE
One of the keys to the Urban Knights' victory over Simon Fraser was their ability to close out the game from the charity stripe. Last week's game marked the first game that the Urban Knights outshot their opponents from the free-throw line, and it paid dividends for them. ART U shot 21 free throws to the Clans' 18, and made 15 to their 12, including several down the stretch by a number of players. Hunter Hayden's were the most crucial to make it a two possession game with less than 15 seconds left, and Overton and Shamsud-din combined to go 13 of 16 from the line.

KNIGHTS PREPARE WELCOMING PARTY
The Cal Baptist Lancers have already made their mark on the PacWest during the fall season, taking the national titles in men's and women's soccer as well as volleyball. Their matchup with the Knights will be their first PacWest match for the basketball team, and the Lancers are led by Luke Evans (13.6 ppg) and Justus Von Wright (11.8 ppg). Evans also leads the team in rebounding with 7.6 boards per contest. CBU has won four NAIA Tournament championships, the latest in 2008.

LOOKING AHEAD
After facing off against the Lancers, the Urban Knights will head home to Kezar Pavilion and take on The Master's College on December 30th in their final non-conference matchup of the year.