Game #3
ART U Urban Knights (2-0, 0-0 PWC) vs. Fresno Pacific Sunbirds (2-3, 0-0 PWC)
Thursday, December 5, 2019 at 5:30 p.m.
Fresno, Calif. – Special Events Center
Live Stats & Live Video

CONFERENCE DEBUT FEATURES URBAN KNIGHTS AT SUNBIRDS
Stepping onto the court for the first time since starting the year with back-to-back wins in Oregon, Academy of Art women's basketball begins its 12th Pacific West Conference campaign in Fresno this week.

OPENING TIP
In the team's lone game over a five-week period, the Urban Knights will face Fresno Pacific on Wednesday, Dec. 5 at 5:30 p.m. inside the Sunbirds' Special Events Center. 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
With the two games under its belt, Academy of Art ranks first in the PacWest in field goal percentage (.481) and rebounding defensive (30.5 per game) as well as second in both blocks (4.0 per game) and steals (11.5 per game). Recognized as the first PacWest Player of the Week, graduate student guard Tayler Bennett is the PacWest leader (ninth in NCAA Division II) in both field goal percentage (.654) and three-point field goals made per game (3.5) while sitting second in the conference (10th in DII) in points per game (22.5). The PacWest leader in steals per game (13th in DII) is junior guard/forward Lily Perkins (3.5) and she is joined in the top five by teammates junior guard Pam Wilmore and Bennett who each have 2.5 per contest. Wilmore has adds 5.0 assists per game to rank third in the conference. The team's top three scorers after Bennett have been Perkins (13.5 ppg), Wilmore (12.0 ppg), and senior guard Brianna Cates (9.5 ppg).

TO FRESNO WE GO
Picked to finish fourth by the PacWest coaches in the preseason poll, Fresno Pacific has had an up and down year thus far. After being edged by Western Washington and soundly defeating Seattle Pacific, FPU fell to Cal State Dominguez Hills, triumphed over Cal State Monterey Bay, and most recently lost to Stanislaus State by five points. The Sunbirds rank third in the conference in scoring (76.0 points per game) and have been led by the offensive tandem of Cassie Pisik (17.2 ppg) and Jessica Malazarte (17.0 ppg). Pisik is also second in the PacWest in rebounding (11.2 rpg) and Malazarte tops the list in three-point shooting (.565). In 11 previous meetings, the Urban Knights are up 7-4 on the Sunbirds despite the latter's four-game win streak.

BENNETT'S BUZZER-BEATER BEATS CU 79-77, ART U STARTS 2-0
An exciting start to the 2019-20 season for Academy of Art women's basketball continued on Nov. 9 as the Urban Knights edged Concordia (Ore.) 79-77 on a buzzer-beating layup by graduate student guard Tayler Bennett. Finishing with a game-high 26 points, Bennett was one of four ART U players to score in double figures inside Western Oregon's New PE Building.

LOOKING AHEAD
Academy of Art plays its first home game of the 2019-20 season when the Urban Knights host Chaminade on Dec. 15 inside Kezar Pavilion. ART U then wraps up non-conference play the following week on the road at Central Washington (Dec. 17) and Seattle Pacific (Dec. 19).