Game #21
ART U Urban Knights (11-9, 8-5 PacWest) vs. UH Hilo Vulcans (10-7, 7-6 PacWest)
Sunday, February 13, 2022 at 1 p.m.
Belmont, Calif. – Walter Gleason Gym
Live Stats & Live Video

ART U HOSTS VULCANS IN MAINLAND MEETING
In the thick of a battle for seeding in the Pacific West Conference Tournament, Academy of Art women's basketball gets a rematch with UH Hilo, a team currently holding the seventh spot in the standings, this Sunday.

TIP-OFF
This weekend, the Urban Knights will return to Walter Gleason Gym in Belmont, Calif. for the first time since early December. Academy of Art and UH Hilo are set to tip off at 1 p.m. this Sunday, Feb. 13. All times and venues are subject to change. 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
Holding the fifth spot in the PacWest standings, Academy of Art leads the conference rebounds (44.4), offensive rebounds (18.5), and steals (12.7) per game while adding the second-most blocks (5.8) per contest and turnover margin (4.2). Among NCAA Division II programs, ART U is fourth in blocks, fifth in offensive rebounds, 10th in rebounds, and 15th in steals per game.

Currently top nine in four major career stat categories at ART U, junior guard Chanel Stuart continues to build on her time as an Urban Knight following her unforgettable 42-point performance on Jan. 15. She now ranks fifth in the PacWest in both steals (2.2) and three-point field goals made per game (2.3) while adding a team-high 11.7 points per contest (14th in PacWest). In terms of her ART U career, Stuart is fourth in 3-pointers made (105), seventh in steals (119), eighth in points (699), and ninth in rebounds (383).

Freshman forward/center Alisha Wilson is currently riding a streak of six consecutive games with double-digit rebounds as she not only paces the PacWest with 11.4 rebounds (5.1 on the offensive glass) and 1.8 blocks per game, but ranks 14th and 37th in the country in those categories. Her offensive rebounding average ranks fourth in NCAA DII and, with her 9.0 points per game, she now has 10 double-doubles on the year to rank 28th in the nation.

With at least one steal in all 20 of her games played this season, freshman guard Brooke Rodgers is has risen to eighth in the PacWest at 2.0 steals per game in addition to posting 9.4 points per game. Junior guard Lauryn Manns (8.1) and freshman guard Alyssa Munn (8.0) are next in scoring average and at 1.9 and 1.3 steals per contest respectively, both join four of their teammates, Stuart, Rodgers, Wilson (1.7), and freshman guard Milan Tuttle (1.8) (who has two or more steals in each of her past six games) inside the conference's top 25 in steals per game. Munn adds the 11th-highest assists per game (3.1) average in the PacWest. Freshman forward/center Christy Ojide comes off a 14-point, 13-rebound double-double, her third of the season and checks in at third in the PacWest with 1.1 blocks per game. 

Through eight games played, graduate student guard Joy Krupa put up 11.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 2.1 blocks, and 1.9 steals per game. She added a .451 field goal percentage with four double-doubles.

VETTING THE VULCANS
In the time since defeating ART U 66-58 on Jan. 13, UH Hilo has been relatively even at 4-5 with wins coming over Dominican, Biola, Hawaii Pacific, and Chaminade most recently. Second in the PacWest in three-point field goal percentage (.345) and third in free throw percentage (.718), the Vulcans are also not far back from Academy of Art in turnover margin (3.88). At 16.6 points per game and the leader in free throw percentage (.870), Mandi Kawaha ranks sixth in the conference in scoring while Nikki Miller checks in at third in rebounding (9.9 boards per game). Adding to the intrigue of this matchup, ART U and UH Hilo are even at 9-9 in the historical series.

MOMENTUM SHIFT IN FINAL MINUTE SENDS EAGLES PAST KNIGHTS
Anyone's game in the final minute and a half, a Feb. 6 Pacific West Conference rematch between Academy of Art women's basketball and Concordia went the Eagles' way 62-57 thanks to a steal and free throws down the stretch. Tough ART U defense to start limited CUI in the opening quarter, but double-doubles for freshmen forward/centers Christy Ojide and Alisha Wilson was not enough to overcome the late push by the visitors inside Tobin Gymnasium.

LOOKING AHEAD
As the schedule currently stands, the Urban Knights will play one opponent each of the next three weeks of the regular season beginning with a rematch against Hawaii Pacific on Feb. 17 back inside Walter Gleason Gym.