Game #19
ART U Urban Knights (7-11, 5-9 PWC) vs. Fresno Pacific Sunbirds (11-10, 8-7 PWC)
Thursday, February 6, 2020 at 5 p.m.
San Francisco – Kezar Pavilion
Live Stats & Live Video

Game #20
ART U Urban Knights (7-11, 5-9 PWC) vs. Biola Eagles (14-7, 10-5 PWC)
Saturday, February 8, 2020 at 1 p.m.
San Francisco – Kezar Pavilion
Live Stats & Live Video

ART U BEGINS BAY AREA HOMESTAND WITH PACWEST REMATCHES
Returning from Hawaii with two victories in three games, Academy of Art women's basketball settles in as the host in its next four contests with Fresno Pacific and Biola first on tap. With Pacific West Conference rematches on tap for the remainder of the regular season, ART U continues to vie for a chance to make the conference tournament.

OPENING TIP
This Thursday, Feb. 6, the Urban Knights will host FPU at 5 p.m. inside Kezar Pavilion. Back there once again on Saturday, Feb. 8, ART U welcomes Biola for a 1 p.m. tipoff. 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.

The contest hosting FPU will be the Urban Knights' "Campus Safety Knight" game which recognizes the Academy of Art Campus Safety Department as well as the San Francisco Police Department, San Francisco Fire Department, San Francisco Park Rangers, as well as ART U Title 9 and will include a black rally towel for fans in attendance.
 
KNIGHT WATCH
Ranked second in the PacWest behind Azusa Pacific in offensive rebounds per game (14.2) and steals per game (10.94, 33rd in NCAA DII). Academy of Art now has four players averaging double figures on the offensive end. Graduate student guard Tayler Bennett and junior guard Pam Wilmore are both among the conference's top 15 scorers at 14.2 and 13.6 points per game while senior guard Josselyn Morris (10.1) and junior guard/forward Lily Perkins (10.0) come in just over 10 points per game. In steals per game, Wilmore (2.4) and Bennett (2.2) both rank in the PacWest's top four in steals per and, after her career-high 13 rebounds versus UH Hilo, Perkins (5.9) joins junior forward Megan Jefferson (6.0) inside the top 20 rebounders in the conference. Often connecting from long range, Bennett (2.9) and Morris (2.7) remain top two in the PacWest in three-point field goals per game as well as top three in three-point field goal percentage (.371 and .314 respectively). Wilmore, who averaged 16.3 points, 5.3 assists, and 4.3 rebounds in Hawaii, is barely second in the conference at 5.9 assists per game (10th in NCAA DII). Sophomore guard Chanel Stuart comes off her best game of the season after knocking down five 3-pointers as part of a 20-point breakout at UH Hilo.

HERE COMES THE SUN
Since meeting ART U for both teams' respective PacWest openers on Dec. 5, Fresno Pacific has gone 7-7, winning once in Hawaii, three of five at home, then splitting its tour of the conference's Bay Area pod most recently. The current PacWest Defender of the Week, Cassie Pisik remains the team's top scorer at 16.0 points per game (eighth in PacWest) and top rebounder at 9.5 rebounds per game (second in PacWest), but Jessica Malazarte is right behind her offensively at 15.9 points per game in addition to owning the third-highest assist per game average (4.1) in the conference. Though the Sunbirds have had the edge in the two most recent seasons, Academy of Art leads the all-time matchup 7-5.

ROUND TWO WITH THE EAGLES
Following their Jan. 11 matchup with the Knights, Biola has gone 3-3 with all of its wins coming at home and two losses at the hands of Azusa Pacific in that span. BU is slated to face Holy Names on Feb. 6 before finishing its final Bay Area roadtrip of the year. Holding opponents to the second-lowest field goal percentage (.353) in the PacWest, the Eagles rank third in the conference in both blocks (3.19) and steals (10.9) per game, relying on Mikayla Greens (1.3 blocks per contest, third in PacWest) and Jelissa Puckett (1.9 steals per contest, seventh in PacWest) in those departments. Biola holds a 4-0 lead in its historical matchup with ART U.

ART U TRIUMPHS OVER UH HILO TO CONCLUDE HAWAII TRIP
Academy of Art women's basketball came out on fire and finished strong in what was a resilient 74-64 victory over UH Hilo in Pacific West Conference action. Inside Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium on Jan. 31, breakout performances from Stuart (season-high 20 points), Wilmore (19 points, five assists), and Perkins (18 points, career-high 13 rebounds) served as punctuation to a Hawaii roadtrip that saw the Urban Knights go 2-1.

LOOKING AHEAD
Academy of Art will finish its current Bay Area stint by hosting Holy Names (Feb. 13) and UH Hilo (Feb. 15).