Game #22
ART U Urban Knights (12-9, 9-5 PacWest) vs. Hawaii Pacific Sharks (6-14, 3-10 PacWest)
Thursday, February 17, 2022 at 5 p.m.
Belmont, Calif. – Walter Gleason Gym
Live Stats & Live Video

Game #23
ART U Urban Knights (12-9, 9-5 PacWest) vs. Fresno Pacific Sharks (6-14, 3-10 PacWest)
Thursday, February 20, 2022 at 2 p.m.
Fresno, Calif. – Special Events Center
Live Stats | Live Video

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL MEETS SHARKS FOR SECOND TIME IN JUST OVER A MONTH, SUNBIRDS FOR FIRST TIME
Academy of Art women's basketball, who enters this week tied with Biola for what would be the fourth spot in the Pacific West Conference Tournament, is set for its rematch with Hawaii Pacific coming up this Thursday prior to a newly-added makeup game at Fresno Pacific on Sunday.

TIP-OFF
Walter Gleason Gym in Belmont will once again be the site for ART U women's basketball as the Urban Knights host HPU this Thursday, Feb. 17 at 5 p.m. Making up the game that had originally been scheduled for Jan. 22, Academy of Art takes on Fresno Pacific this Sunday, Feb. 20 inside the Sunbirds' Special Events Center. 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.

Thursday's game will be ALS Awareness Night. ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks nerve cells and pathways in the brain and spinal cord. Patients in the later stages of the disease are totally paralyzed, yet in most cases, their minds remain sharp and alert. Every day, an average of 15 people are newly diagnosed with ALS - more than 5,600 people per year. As many as 30,000 Americans may currently be affected by ALS. To help support research, advocacy, nationwide care services, and ALS-specific clinical care, please click here to donate.

KNIGHT WATCH
Coming off a win over UH Hilo in which Academy of Art allowed the fourth-fewest points this season, ART U still paces the PacWest in rebounds (44.1), offensive rebounds (18.3), and steals (12.5) per game while adding the second-most blocks (5.7) per contest and turnover margin (4.1) and third-lowest scoring defense (opponents average just 61.1 points per game). Among NCAA Division II programs, the Urban Knights are up to second in offensive rebounds, fifth in blocks, 12th 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).

With double-digit rebounds in eight of her last 10 games, freshman forward/center Alisha Wilson remains firmly atop the PacWest with 11.2 rebounds (4.9 on the offensive glass) and 1.8 blocks per game, ranking 14th and 39th in the country in those categories. Her offensive rebounding average ranks sixth in NCAA DII and, with her 8.9 points per game, she now has 10 double-doubles on the year to rank 33rd in the nation.

Just ahead of Wilson in scoring average is freshman guard Brooke Rodgers (9.0 points per game) while junior guard Lauryn Manns (8.5 ppg) is slightly back. Rodgers is tied with freshman guard Alyssa Munn at 1.9 steals per contest (seventh in the PacWest) while Manns (1.5) jumped up to 15th in the conference in swipes after a breakout game against UH Hilo where she notched a season-best five steals to go with her highest scoring output of the year (18 points). Also among the PacWest's top 10 in steals is freshman guard Milan Tuttle (1.8) who has three or more thefts in seven games this season to complement nine or more points in each of her last six games. With double-doubles in each of her last two games (four on the season), freshman forward/center Christy Ojide is averaging 13.0 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game in her last three times out. She currently ranks third in the PacWest with 1.1 blocks per contest. 

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.

SHARK ATTACK
Following its Jan. 15 loss to Academy of Art in Honolulu, Hawaii Pacific dropped six straight before defeating Chaminade and Fresno Pacific last week. On the outside looking in but still in contention for the eighth spot in the PacWest Tournament, the Sharks' matchup with ART U this week will come as HPU's third game in three days after a back-to-back with Dominican on Feb. 15-16. Hawaii Pacific is led by Tavia Rowell's 17.1 points per game (fifth in PacWest) which come with a .447 field goal percentage that is among the conference leaders. Trailing the Sharks 15-7 all-time, the Knights will look for their first season sweep since 2016. 

HERE COMES THE SUN
A team ART U faced four times to start the shortened 2020-21 season, Fresno Pacific is currently holding the eighth spot in the PacWest standings with a 4-9 conference record. Despite losing its first three PacWest games and another four bridging January and February, FPU has won two of its last three, securing victories over Point Loma and Chaminade. The Sunbirds, who will play UH Hilo (Feb. 18) prior to this weekend's matchup, are second only to the Knights in the conference in rebounding (43.0 per game) though they do not have one rebounder among the PacWest's top 10 individually. Felicia Dourva's 9.4 points per game lead Fresno Pacific while Maesyn Rix checks in at sixth in the conference with 6.0 rebounds per contest. The all-time matchup with Academy of Art slightly favors FPU 9-8.

EARLY LEAD, STRONG FINISH GET ART U NINTH PACWEST VICTORY
In a battle of two teams very much contending for a spots in the Pacific West Conference Tournament, Academy of Art women's basketball made its 5-1 run at the end of the first quarter the ultimate difference as the Urban Knights never trailed and held off UH Hilo in the late stages for a 56-47 victory inside Walter Gleason Gym on Feb. 13. Both freshman forward/center Christy Ojide and junior guard Lauryn Manns scored season-highs while adding important defensive contributions in the rematch as well.

LOOKING AHEAD
As the schedule currently stands, ART U will host Biola one week from Thursday's game on Feb. 24 for Senior Day back inside Walter Gleason Gym.