Game #12
ART U Urban Knights (2-9, 1-7 PWC) vs. Fresno Pacific (10-4, 6-2 PWC)
Saturday, January 12, 2019 at 1 p.m.
San Francisco – Kezar Pavilion
Live Stats & Live Video

ART U WELCOMES FRESNO PACIFIC TO KEZAR PAVILION
Academy of Art women's basketball is set to conclude its six-game homestand this weekend with Fresno Pacific in town on Saturday.

OPENING TIP
Academy of Art gets its first of two pairings with Fresno Pacific this Saturday, Jan. 12 inside Kezar Pavilion at 1 p.m. Live coverage will be available via the links above. Remember to follow @ARTU_Knights via the athletics app (Apple App Store, Google Play Store) and on Twitter & Instagram as well as "Like" the Urban Knights on Facebook for score updates, videos, and recaps.

KNIGHT WATCH
Offensive rebounding and steals continue to be staples for Academy of Art who enters the week ranked second in the PacWest in offensive boards per game (15.8) and fourth in steals per contest (9.45). Coming off a career-best 26-point performance, junior guard Brianna Cates now finds herself fourth in the PacWest in scoring at 17.2 points per game. An efficient 8-of-17 shooting from the field helped her also ascend to sixth in the conference in field goal percentage, now at 44.4 percent. ART U's success in the hustle categories has been in large part due to freshman guard Chanel Stuart who ranks second in the PacWest in steals per game (3.0) and tied with junior forward Ines Medina for the ninth-most rebounds per contest (7.9) in the conference. Two breakout games scoring the basketball have also helped sophomore forward Lily Perkins establish herself as one of the team's main scoring threats as she now averages 12.0 points per game to go with 2.3 steals per game (sixth in the PacWest).

SUNBIRDS ON FIRE
After winning five of its first six games to start the season, Fresno Pacific has followed by positioning itself among the top teams in the PacWest. The Sunbirds are 6-2 in conference play, falling only to Hawaii Pacific twice thus far. FPU had dispatched Concordia, Point Loma, Chaminade, and UH Hilo prior to the Jan. 4 loss to the Sharks. Fresno Pacific has prided itself as the PacWest leader in three-point defense, holding opponents to just over 25 percent shooting from distance while also leading in turnover margin (6.00) after forcing opponents into an impressive 21.3 miscues per contest. Offensively, FPU relies on Jessica Malazarte for 15.2 points per game (10th in PacWest) with rebounding duties often falling on Cassie Pisik whose 9.1 boards per game are third in the conference. In a historical matchup that has seen eight previous meetings, the Urban Knights are 6-2 all-time versus the Sunbirds.

CATES' CAREER-HIGH 26 POINTS NOT ENOUGH TO STOP BIOLA
Just two points separated Academy of Art women's basketball and Biola at halftime, but in the end, the Eagles walked out of Holy Names' Tobin Gymnasium with an 82-55 Pacific West Conference victory on Jan. 7. Fighting back with 17 second half points, junior guard Brianna Cates exploded for a career-high 26 on the night, converting 9-of-11 from the foul line.

LOOKING AHEAD
Having been at home since Dec. 19, ART U will play its next five contests on the road beginning with Dominican (Jan. 17) and Holy Names (Jan. 19) this upcoming week.