KNIGHT WATCH
Though they failed to score 70 points for just the second time this past Saturday, Academy of Art remains second in the PacWest in scoring at 77.1 points per game (30th in the country). Also top 30 in the NCAA in turnover margin (4.92), the Urban Knights have moved up to first in the conference in steals per game (9.3) and offensive rebounds per game (16.2) as well as second in assist-to-turnover ratio (0.97).

After her ninth consecutive game scoring in double figures, junior guard Zoie Sheng is 11th in the conference in scoring at 14.2 points per game. She is still second in the PacWest in free throws (85.9 percent). That figure puts her 33rd in the country among free throw shooters and she is now 39 free throws made from tying Alisa Griggs' all-time record. Sheng is the program's new career assists record holder after three against Dominican gave her 237 in less than three years. Junior guard Sha'Nice Storey is averaging 11.7 points per game and remains among the PacWest's top 10 in both 3-point shooting (35.7 percent) and 3-pointers made per game (1.9) in 3-point percentage (42.0%), having made 21 long range shots this year to give her 117 through 74 career games.

Already the program's top rebounding guard through two and a half seasons, junior Jasmin Guinn is up to 8.8 rebounds per game (10th in PacWest) after her fourth double-double of the year came against Dixie State (16 points, 11 rebounds). She recently passed Jessica Nolan for second place on the ART U career list (481) and is now 15 steals from becoming the program's career leader there as well. With another all-around game against Dominican, junior guard Regina Camera is up to sixth in the PacWest in both assist-to-turnover ratio (1.6) and ninth in assists (3.5 apg) along with her 9.8 points per game average.

BAPTIST BACK TO ITS WINNING WAYS
The Urban Knights' 76-68 come-from-behind victory hosting California Baptist on Dec. 16 ended up interrupting what has been a stretch of nine wins in CBU's past 10 games. The Lancers proceeded to close out their Bay Area roadtrip with three victories, regularly scoring over 80 points and winning by an average margin of more than 26 points versus Dominican, Notre Dame de Namur, and Holy Names. Riverside rematches with HNU, Dominican, and ART U have started the New Year and come prior to two January out-of-state road trips for California Baptist (Utah, Hawaii). Among the top five scorers in the conference, Courtney Nelson (16.6 points per game) leads a set of four Lancers who average double figures in scoring while Darsha Burnside is the PacWest's top rebounder at 11.6 boards per game. After winning earlier this season, Academy of Art moved up to 4-2 all-time against CBU.

COUGARS COME AGAIN
Since ART U's 74-70 win over Azusa Pacific in San Francisco on Dec. 20, the Cougars began a three-game homestand with a 91-54 victory hosting Holy Names in 2015. Dominican is set to visit APU on Jan. 10 prior to the Urban Knights, who look to build on their 14-5 second half run to end the previous contest which featured another come-from-behind triumph. ART U held Kelly Hardeman, the PacWest's leading scorer (21.4 points per game), to just 16 points on 6-for-14 shooting from the field in their last matchup, but Maggie Dumphy (10.1 ppg) went for 24 points. Hardeman does come off a career-high 30-point effort against Holy Names on a night when she became the program's 23rd player to score 1,000 career points. The victory this year was the Knights' first in three meetings with Azusa Pacific.

FARING THE SEA OF GREEN
Despite defeating #2 Cal Poly Pomona 63-60 to start the year, a six-game losing streak thereafter brought Point Loma back down to earth. During that stretch, PLNU fell to Cal State Dominguez Hills twice and began PacWest play by falling 71-67 to Dixie State as well. The Sea Lions have gone 3-3 since then, however, picking up conference victories over Azusa Pacific and Chaminade while dropping contests to Fresno Pacific and Hawaii Pacific. Point Loma will finish its Hawaii roadtrip on Jan. 7 in Hilo then returns home to host Dominican (Jan. 12) and ART U (Jan. 14). Two of PLNU's main weapons are Jessica Escorza (14.7 points per game) who ranks second in the PacWest in steals (2.2 spg) and Madison West (12.4 ppg), a dangerous outside threat who currently leads the conference in 3-point shooting (44.3 percent). Academy of Art is 3-0 all-time against the Sea Lions after defeating them twice last year.

ART U HAS CHILLY SHOOTING DAY AT HOME
On a brisk Saturday afternoon inside Kezar Pavilion, the Urban Knights experienced their coldest shooting since year one in a 72-64 loss to Dominican in Pacific West Conference play. Still able to score in transition, Academy of Art led for more than 50 percent of the second half and was down by three with under a minute left. However, the Penguins converted their free throws late and held on.

LOOKING AHEAD
The Urban Knights will be home for quite a long stretch upon returning from Southern California next week. ART U plays host to Chaminade (Jan. 19), Hawaii Pacific (Jan. 22), and BYU-Hawaii (Jan. 24) to start a five-part homestand.