Game #30
ART U Urban Knights (23-7) vs. Montana State-Billings Yellowjackets (23-7)
Friday, March 14, 2014 at 2:30 PM
Pomona, CA – Kellogg Gym
Live Stats | Live Video | Live Audio

#NCAAD2West

ART U TO MAKE SECOND REGIONAL APPEARANCE IN TWO YEARS
Fresh off its second Pacific West Conference Tournament Championship, Academy of Art University Women's Basketball turns its attention to the NCAA Division II Tournament which starts with Regional play in Pomona. The Urban Knights open against second-seeded Montana State-Billings this Friday, Mar. 14. For ticket and location information, be sure to check out Cal Poly Pomona's Regional homepage and the NCAA Tournament Bracket!

OPENING TIP
The NCAA West Regional schedule begins inside Cal Poly Pomona's Kellogg Gym on Friday, Mar. 14. ART U will have the second game of the day at 2:30 PM following the matchup of #6 Western Washington and #3 Simon Fraser. Game three features #5 Chico State and #4 Cal State Dominguez Hills while the final contest will be #8 Alaska Anchorage and #1 Cal Poly Pomona. The winners of Friday's games advance to the second round on Saturday, Mar. 15 with ART U's opponent the victor from game one (WWU vs. SFU) should they advance. Monday, Mar. 17 is the Regional Championship game and tips off at 7:00 PM. Remember to follow @ARTU_Knights on Twitter & Instagram and "Like" the Urban Knights on Facebook for score updates, videos, and recaps. Use #NCAAD2West!

Live coverage will be available via the links above, including a special Urban Knights Radio broadcast with Tim Swartz. UKR will follow Academy of Art as far as they go in the NCAA Tournament. 

KNIGHT WATCH
After two postseason games, Academy of Art continues to rank among the NCAA Division II elite in several categories. The Urban Knights are seventh in the nation in turnover margin (+6.13), 13th in scoring offense (79.8 points per game), 20th in steals per game (11.1), 26th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.08), 33rd in scoring margin (+9.6), and 34th in assists per game (15.8). Krystal Forthan, whose post-season resume is packed with PacWest Player and Newcomer of the Year, All-PacWest First Team, and PacWest Tournament MVP, continues to make program history with a 15-game streak recording a double-double. She has moved up to seventh in the country in total double-doubles (16) despite playing nearly eight fewer games than virtually every name around hers on the list. She is currently averaging 19.5 points (would be 3rd in PacWest if met game minimums), 12.4 rebounds (1st in PacWest, 4th in the country), 2.5 blocks (would be second in PacWest), 1.7 steals (would be 10th in PacWest), and 1.9 assists per game.

Adding to the Urban Knights' dynamic scoring threat is Regina Camera, a two-time PacWest All-Tournament Team selection in two seasons and All-PacWest Third Team. She scored 15 points in the semifinals against Dixie State then offered 17 points and 11 rebounds for her second double-double of the year against California Baptist in the title game to make up her now11.5 points per game average. All-PacWest Second Team honoree Zoie Sheng holds the second-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the PacWest (1.8) while putting up 10.7 points and 3.3 assists per game (6th in PacWest). The only Urban Knight to start all 31 games thus far and just two assists away from becoming just the second player in ART U history to dish out 100 in a season, she also recently became the program's single-season leader in free throws made with now 114 in 2013-14. All-PacWest Third Team recipient Sha'Nice Storey, the program's all-time 3-pointers made leader (now 95) is just as shade behind Sheng at 10.5 points per game.

Molly O'Brien averages 10.1 points in 24.2 minutes per game with 2.7 free throws made and 4.8 rebounds per game. She is sixth in the conference in field goal percentage (46.7) behind second-place Alisa Griggs (48.8). Jasmin Guinn moved back up into first in the PacWest in offensive rebounds (3.6 rpg) and is third in steals per game (2.3 spg) while putting up 8.8 points per game. With her 11 rebounds against California Baptist, she moved into third among the program's career rebounders.

The Knights' first round opponent is the second-seeded Montana State-Billings, a team that was among the highest in the West Region for much of the season. Sporting a 23-7 overall record identical to that of ART U, the Yellowjackets won the Great Northwest Athletic Conference regular season championship after 13 victories in a 14-game stretch. However, MSUB fell to Simon Fraser, the third seed, by a score of 85-74 in the GNAC Tournament. Senior guard Bobbi Knudsen leads the team in scoring with 17.2 points, 5.9 assists, and 5.2 rebounds per game. Janiel Olson averages 10.2 rebounds per game while Chelsea Banis and Kayleen Goggins combine to average over 21.0 points per game. The Knights and Yellowjackets have never met since Academy of Art's inception.

BRONCOS BURST IN AT #1
The host and top overall seed Cal Poly Pomona enter the tournament with a 22-6 overall record and a California Collegiate Athletic Association-winning 18-4 record. Though they had two separate six-game win streaks this year, CPP has lost two of its last three games, at Chico State and against Cal State Dominguez Hills in the CCAA Championship Tournament. The Broncos are led by the inside out duo in 6'1 Arizona State transfer Jada Blackwell at center and junior guard Ariel Marsh. Blackwell averages a team-leading 18.0 points and 9.3 rebounds per game while Marsh averages 16.6 points, 2.5 assists, and nearly 38 percent from three with 60 makes this season. CPP and ART U have also never faced one another.

CLAN CARRYING #3 SEED
Third-seeded Simon Fraser enters with a 19-9 overall record and comes off having a place in the GNAC Tournament final where they fell to Western Washington. The road has been rocky recently as SFU has gone 3-3 in its last six games. Junior 6'1 combo forward Erin Chambers leads the team in scoring with 22.6 points per game and chips in 4.3 rebounds. Katie Lowen is second on the team in scoring with 11.3 points per game while Meg Wilson leads the team in rebounding (7.1 rpg) and adds 7.0 points per game. Simon Fraser defeated the Knights twice on the road in British Columbia in late November, 84-69 and 89-74.

#4 TOROS TOOK CCAA TOURNEY TITLE
Fourth-seeded Cal State Dominguez Hills is riding high off a 65-61 CCAA Tournament Championship over Cal Poly Pomona on Mar. 8th in nearby Ontario. CSUDH enters the regional with a 20-9 overall record, four-game winning streak, and third place regular season finish in the CCAA. Sophomore guard Monay Lee leads the a trio of Toros scoring in double figures with 14.7 points per game and a team-leading 56 total assists. Forward Tayler Champion is second in rebounding (7.7 rpg) and also adds 13.1 points per game. The Knights lost to the Dominguez Hills 69-53 in December as part of the Las Vegas Challenge.

WILDCATS WITH #5 SPOT
Fifth-seeded Chico State join the regional pack with an 18-9 overall record and second place regular season finish in the CCAA. They lost to Dominguez Hills in the CCAA Tournament semifinals and had recently taken losses to both Cal State East Bay (63-60) and Humboldt State (66-50), two teams with which Academy of Art is familiar. Chico State is led by a trio of perimeter players in 5'7 senior Jazmine Miller (13.1 ppg, 5.0 rpg), 5'5 freshman Hannah Womack (10.1 ppg), and 6'1 forward McKenzie Dalthorp (10.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg). The Knights and Wildcats have met just once prior back in 2010 with Chico State coming out on top.

#6 VIKINGS SHOWING VARIETY
The defending West Regional Champion Western Washington have won three straight games, twice over third-seeded Simon Fraser including in last Saturday's GNAC Tournament Championship. The Vikings enter as the sixth overall seed with a 19-9 overall record and 13-5 conference record. They have four scorers averaging double figures led by a trio of juniors in Katie Colard (14.5 ppg), Jenni White (10.6 ppg) who leads with 4.7 assists per game, and Sarah Hill (10.1 ppg) who adds a team-best 8.9 rebounds per game. The Knights remember Western Washington rather clearly as it was the Vikings who ended ART U's postseason run with a 70-50 WWU victory in the opening round last year.

ALASKA ANCHORING #8 SEED
The eight-seeded Alaska Anchorage Seawolves enter the regional with a 19-9 record and tied for third place regular season finish in the GNAC. They have won four of their last six games as they head to play the top seeded Broncos, who are 12-2 this season at home. Alaska Anchorage could have a starting lineup with nearly all five members scoring in double figures with Jenna Buchannan's 9.5 ppg the lowest in the lineup. Alli Madison leads the team in scoring with 12.9 ppg, but the team will rely on a young backcourt with two sophomores in Buchannan and Jessica Madison (10.9 ppg) with freshman Kiki Robertson (10.6 ppg, 5.0 assists per game) alongside. Academy of Art has never faced Alaska Anchorage.

URBAN KNIGHTS REPEAT AS PACWEST TOURNEY CHAMPS
Academy of Art University Women's Basketball made it back-to-back PacWest Conference Tournament titles and added to their regular season championship with an 88-76 victory over California Baptist. Leading the entire way, ART U was ahead by 21 at halftime and dominated the Lancers, out-rebounding their opponent 59-40 which led to 27 second-chance points in the tournament finals inside Point Loma's Golden Gymnasium. The Knights defeated Dixie State 82-72 in the semifinals the evening prior. After her second consecutive game of 26+ points and 14+ rebounds, Krystal Forthan was named Tournament MVP.