Game #15
ART U Urban Knights (9-5, 4-0 PWC) vs. Holy Names Hawks (3-7, 2-2 PWC)
Tuesday, January 5, 2016 at 5 p.m.
Oakland, Calif. – Tobin Gymnasium
Live Stats & Video/Audio

Game #16
ART U Urban Knights (9-5, 4-0 PWC) vs. Point Loma Sea Lions (7-4, 1-3 PWC)
Thursday, January 7, 2016 at Noon
San Francisco – Kezar Pavilion
Live Stats & Video/Audio

Game #17
ART U Urban Knights (9-5, 4-0 PWC) vs. Hawaii Pacific Sharks (6-4, 3-0 PWC)
Saturday, January 9, 2016 at 1 p.m.
San Francisco – Kezar Pavilion
Live Stats & Video/Audio

ACADEMY OF ART OPENS 2016 WITH HAWKS, SEA LIONS, SHARKS
Atop the Pacific West Conference standings with a 4-0 record, the Urban Knights exit a two-week break from competition with ready to resume its defense-into-offense brand of basketball with matchups against Holy Names, Point Loma, and Hawaii Pacific. Academy of Art University currently ranks fifth in NCAA Division II in total steals and carries the country's 13th highest scoring offense.

OPENING TIP
ART U returns to action in the new year with a trip across the bay to Holy Names on Tuesday, Jan. 5. The Knights play their third PacWest Bay Area opponent inside Tobin Gym in Oakland. Academy of Art then returns home to Kezar Pavilion for afternoon matchups with Point Loma (Jan. 7) and Hawaii Pacific (Jan. 9) at noon and 1 p.m. respectively. Live coverage will be available via the links above. Remember to follow @ARTU_Knights on Twitter & Instagram and "Like" the Urban Knights on Facebook for score updates, videos, and recaps.

KNIGHT WATCH
In addition to its aforementioned impressive national rankings in total steals (5th - 150) and scoring offense (13th - 78.9 points per game), ART U has risen to top 10 in turnover margin (7.29), 14th in total assists (195), and 15th in total rebounds (527). Carrying the PacWest Conference's top scorer (19.6 ppg – 22nd in NCAA DII) and country's leader in both steals (53) and free throws made (74), senior guard Jasmin Guinn, Academy of Art comes into 2016 having made the second-most free throws in NCAA DII (228). Guinn ranks third in the country in steals per game (3.8 spg) with 3+ steals in 10 of 14 games thus far. The Berkeley, Calif. native also leads the Knights in rebounding (7.9 rpg) which has her eighth in the PacWest.

ART U is by no means a one-person show as senior guards Zoie Sheng (16.7 ppg), Regina Camera (15.0 ppg), and Sha'Nice Storey (11.5 ppg) all average double figures offensively. Sheng, who has scored more than a fourth of her points at the free throw line, paces Academy of Art with 5.2 assists per game (3rd in PacWest, 28th in NCAA DII) and offers the third highest assist-to-turnover ratio in the conference (1.9). Camera ranks 12th in the country in total steals (32), averaging 2.3 thefts (4th in PacWest), 5.3 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game. Putting in the third-most 3-pointers per contest in the conference (2.5), Storey comes off her second-highest point total of the year with 21 (including five triples) against Fresno Pacific.

HAWK TALK
Despite opening the season 1-6, Holy Names currently sits in the middle of the PacWest standings with a 2-2 record following victories over Notre Dame de Namur and Fresno Pacific in mid-December. A loss to Maryville on Dec. 19 has the Hawks 3-7 overall heading into matchups with Cal State East Bay (Dec. 30) and Sonoma State (Jan. 2). Despite allowing the conference's second-lowest rebounding average to opponents (37.3 rpg), HNU is surrendering 66.2 points per game (6th in PacWest). Offensively, the team is led by Jeana Magana (11.6 ppg) and Garysha Youngblood (10.0 ppg) in addition to the conference's third-ranked rebounder in Tatiana Howard (10.6 rpg). Historically, the Knights hold a 4-3 lead over the Hawks after ART U came out 71-59 winners on the road last year.

ON POINT
In a reverse path to Holy Names, Point Loma won its first six games of the season, including a pair of victories over Cal State Dominguez Hills and a four-point win hosting Seattle Pacific, but has since gone 2-5 with just one win in conference. The Sea Lions topped Concordia Irvine on Dec. 12, but sustained a 26-point loss at California Baptist and will play NDNU on Jan. 5 prior to completing their five-game road swing at Academy of Art. For a team that averages the second-most 3-pointers made per game (7.3) and second-highest turnover margin (3.45), PLNU relies on a trio of scorers, Roya Rustamzada (15.5 ppg), Alex Brunk (14.8 ppg), and Madison West (14.7 ppg), much like ART U. Despite falling to Point Loma twice last season, the Knights are 3-2 all-time against the Sea Lions.

SHARKS IN THE HUNT
Like Academy of Art, Hawaii Pacific is currently undefeated in PacWest play, having topped Holy Names, Concordia, and BYU-Hawaii thus far. The Sharks began their season by splitting games against Concordia (Ore.) and Central Washington on the mainland before putting together a four-game win streak heading into its first trip to California where HPU will play Fresno Pacific (Jan. 5), NDNU (Jan. 7), and ART U (Jan. 9). Hawaii Pacific is a formidable opponent, leading the conference in scoring defense (59.8 ppg) and three-point field goal percentage (.386) while ranking second in assists per game (16.8). Breanna Mackenzie is the team's top scorer (15.3 ppg) while Brianne Yasukochi adds 11.5 points per game. After a buzzer-beater did not fall for ART U in a 72-71 loss to the Sharks last season, HPU comes into the weekend matchup 8-4 all-time against the Knights.

KNIGHTS DOMINATE INSIDE AND OUT IN VICTORY
Academy of Art University women's basketball closed the 2015 calendar year in impressive fashion, scoring a season-high in its 95-67 rout of Fresno Pacific 95-67 to finish the calendar year a perfect 4-0 in Pacific West Conference play. A 17-2 run bridging the first and second quarters featured three offensive put-backs, a signature for ART U in this game as 25 second chance points spelled the difference inside Kezar Pavilion on Dec. 19. Beyond a highly productive starting unit, the Urban Knights got a boost from junior forward Priscilla Mora's game-high 10 rebounds off the bench.

LOOKING AHEAD
The Urban Knights are off to Hawaii next, traveling to multiple islands anticipating matchups with UH Hilo (Jan. 14), Hawaii Pacific (Jan. 16), and BYU-Hawaii (Jan. 19).