GAME #4
ART U (1-2) v. Cal State Dominguez Hills (3-2)
November 23, 2012 at 6:15 PM PT
Phoenix, AZ -- Antelope Gymnasium
Live Stats | Live Video

GAME #5
ART U (1-2) v. Northwest Nazarene (2-1)
November 24, 2012 at 6:15 PM PT
Phoenix, AZ -- Antelope Gymnasium
Live Stats | Live Video

TIPPING OFF
The Urban Knights men's basketball team got their first win of the 2012-13 season under their belt last week in their home opener, roaring back from a 22-point deficit in the first half to defeat Cal State East Bay by a final of 77-75. The Knights came out of the locker room at halftime to go on a 22-5 run to get back in the game, and a late basket by Bryan Fisher sealed the deal for the ART U victory.

OH WHAT A NIGHT!
Junior big man Rodrigo Maza had a career night for Academy of Art against Cal State East Bay, the school that Maza transferred from prior to the start of this year. The native of Dijon, France had 14 points and 10 rebounds for his second double-double in three games, and also set a new school record with six blocks. His 8.7 rebounds per game rank third in the conference, and his 10 blocks are a conference-high while his 3.3 blocks per game ranks second.

TAMING THE TOROS
After facing the Pioneers in their home opener, the Urban Knights will take on another CCAA opponent in Cal State Dominguez Hills in the opening night of the GCU Thanksgiving Holiday Classic. The Toros have won two in a row, including a 75-74 nail-biter over Biola University in Carson. CSUDH is averaging just under 65 points per contest, led by swingman Givon Crump (15.8 ppg) and junior forward DeShaun Freeman (12.2 ppg). Crump has led the team in scoring in three of their five games, while Lamine Diame, a 6'7 senior from Senegal has paced the Toros with 8.6 rebounds per contest.

IT STARTS WITH ONE
ART U first-year head coach Julius Barnes earned his first victory as an NCAA coach last week in the Knights win over East Bay. The Rowland Heights, CA native and former Stanford basketball standout was an assistant coach for the Knights last year before being promoted earlier in 2012 to the head coaching role, and has relished the opportunity to start his career at the helm of the Urban Knights.

HALTING THE CRUSADE
After facing Northwest Nazarene on the baseball diamond for the past couple of years, the Urban Knights and the Crusaders will meet for the first time on the hardwood at the GCU Classic on Saturday. NNU has won two of three to start the year and has four players averaging double figures in scoring early on in the season. Senior guard Kenny Jones is leading the way with 15.0 points per game, while Jonathan Hawkins (11.0 ppg),  Jordan NIcholes (10.3 ppg), and Keith Moilanen (10.3 ppg) are also over 10 points per contest. The Crusaders are averaging 71.0 points per game as a team, and also have a rebounding margin of +7.0 per game over their opponents, led by Kevin Rima's 6.7 rpg.

ON THE REBOUND
Following the GCU tournament, the Urban Knights will start their PacWest schedule on the road on Dec. 1 against Notre Dame de Namur before coming back for the conference home opener on Dec. 8 against Holy Names at Kezar Pavilion.