Game #27
ART U Urban Knights (15-11, 11-7 PacWest) vs. BU Eagles (19-6, 13-5 PacWest)
Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022 at 7 p.m.
Belmont, Calif. – Walter Gleason Gym (no general admission)
Live Stats & Video

Game #28
ART U Urban Knights (15-11, 11-7 PacWest) vs. FPU Sunbirds (17-8, 11-7 PacWest)
Satruday, Feb. 26, 2022 at 4:30 p.m.
Fresno, Calif. – Special Events Center
Live Stats & Video

THE END IS NEAR
A rollercoaster of a season is nearing its end as Academy of Art men's basketball prepares for its final two Pacific West Conference contests of the regular season this week, beginning with a rematch at home against Biola on ART U's Senior Night before the season finale takes place at Fresno Pacific on Saturday. 

SO LONG, SENIORS!
Prior to tip off against Biola, there will be a pregame ceremony to honor the four Urban Knights who will be competing in their final collegiate contests this week and in the PacWest Championship Tournament, and those four Knights are junior guard Grant Bellis, graduate student guard Denny Slay, graduate student forward Adrian Byrd-Jelinek, and graduate student guard Joshua Bagley. Despite all being college transfers when they joined Academy of Art, the quartet has amassed a combined 1,216 points and 447 rebounds, and while each has made an impact in their own fashion, all have collectively made program history as the first Urban Knights squad to finish with a .500 record or better (both overall and conference) in the regular season. Should they come together and claim victory in the opening round of the PacWest Championship, they would be the first ART U team in history to do so. 

TIP-OFF
Thursday's Senior Night clash with the Eagles will commence at 7 p.m. with a short senior ceremony just prior to tip-off, while the regular season concludes on Saturday in Fresno against the Sunbirds beginning at 4:30 p.m. 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.

TOURNAMENT TIME
Having clinched a spot in the conference tournament, the seed has still yet to be determined for ART U, but as of now would hold the fifth spot in the PacWest Championships. Currently tied for fourth in the standings with Fresno Pacific thanks to conference records of 11-7, Academy of Art would actually be the fifth seed after FPU's win earlier this season. With the most likely scenario looking like a first round battle between the Knights and Sunbirds as the No. 4 and 5 seeds, this Saturday's clash to end the regular season could be a championship preview, even if it has little effect on seeding. However, there is the possibility for ART U to leap frog over Biola for the No. 3 seed should the Knights win both games this week starting with that same Ealges squad on Thursday, combined with a BU loss to Dominican on Saturday in the season finale. Should Academy of Art make it up to the No. 3 seed, their opponent would currently be UH Hilo as the Vulcans hold a small edge over Concordia. CUI will have a chance to make up the ground when they play three games in four days, twice against Holy Names before closing the year at home against first place Azusa Pacific. With UH Hilo looking up from the sixth seed holding a 9-9 conference record and just one game remaining, there is no possibility that ART U can fall below the fifth seed.  

KNIGHT WATCH
Though Academy of Art had pushed its winning streak to five games for the second time this season after a 73-54 win over Hawaii Pacific on ALS Awareness Night, it would be just a 1-1 week for the Knights after a second-half comeback from APU stole a victory and put an end to their win streak. Sophomore forward Latrell Williams put together consecutive 20-point games with a season-high 21 points in the loss to the Cougars, while he notched his seventh double-double of the season with a 20-point, 10-rebound effort against HPU. 

This season ART U is 13-3 when scoring above 75 points with an average 83.8 points per game in those contests (shot above 40 percent from the field in 14 of 16 occasions). Meanwhile the Knights are now 2-8 when scoring below that mark, averaging just 66.3 ppg (shooting below 40 percent from the floor in first five of those 10 games). That split leads to an overall average of 77.1 ppg on the strength of 43.9 percent shooting from the field, with the points per game ranking fourth in the conference. Currently standing at 2,004 points on the season which is the second-most in ART U history, the Knights current pace would have them end the year with 2,158 points, which would be a new program record (current record: 2,105, 2019-20). Their scoring average would also be the best in ART U history (current record: 76.9 ppg, 2020-21).

Defense has been a hallmark of ART U this season, reaching double-digit steals a total of 15 times with a season best of 20 against HPU on Jan. 15, but they have only done so once in the past five contests. Academy of Art is the only team in the PacWest to average double-digit steals per game, as they are sixth in all of NCAA DII with an average of 10.3 per game. Just as impressively, ART U's total of 267 steals is fifth in the nation and is also a new program record for single-season steals, topping the previous mark of 207 set in the 2016-17 campaign. At their current pace, the Urban Knights are projected to end the year with 287 total thefts. Additionally, their 444 forced turnovers are also a conference best while slotting 10th in the nation, forcing opponents to turn the ball over an average of 17.08 times per game which is 13th in NCAA DII. 

Other categories in which the Knights rank inside the top five in the PacWest include: scoring margin (fifth; +2.9), rebounds per game (third; 37.5), assists per game (fourth; 13.81), field goal percentage defense (third; 42.4 percent), free throw percentage (fourth; 72.2 percent), and turnover margin (second; +2.35).

When looking at stats from just ART U's 18 conference contests, Academy of Art posts the third-best scoring margin at +6.7 while averaging the second-most points per game in the conference at 78.8. They're tops on the glass, pulling down the most rebounds per game with an average of 39.3, and they remain at the top in steals per game thanks to an average of 10.72. The Knights also appear in the top five in the following categories: assists per game (third; 14.72), opponent field goal defense (first; 41.3 percent), free throw percentage (fifth; 72.7 percent), turnovers forced (first; 312), turnover margin (second; +2.78), opponent 3-point field goal percentage (second; 30.4 percent), and blocked shots per game (fourth; 2.72).

Leading the five Urban Knights that are averaging double-digit scoring is graduate student guard Deang Deang with 12.2 ppg on the strength of 49.7 percent shooting. Providing value with both his scoring and his work on the glass, Williams is averaging 10.9 ppg to pair with 7.7 rebounds per game, with a total of seven double-doubles on the season. Williams' rebounding average is tops on the Knights while also ranking third in the PacWest, though he is first in the conference in total rebounds with 201, a total that is now just one shy of second place in program history that is currently held by Andrija Blatancic (202, 2018-19). The second-highest scoring average on the team is the 11.1 ppg from junior guard Klay Brown, while  trailing behind is Slay with 10.4 ppg. Rounding out the group is Bagley with an average of 10.5 ppg, while also ranking 10th in the PacWest for assists per game with an average of 3.1.

Sitting atop the PacWest in steals per game at 2.5 is Brown, who had snatched at least two steals in every game that he recorded a swipe, though that streak ended last game against APU. With a total of nine in his past four games, Brown is now up to a total of 62 on the season, which ranks sixth in the nation for total steals while the steals per game are 12th. Trailing behind Brown in steals per game are teammates Deang (third, 1.7 spg), Slay (third, 1.7 spg), and Williams (10th; 1.5 spg). Meanwhile, junior forward Cheickna Sissoko is 10th in blocks per game at 0.7, swatting away a season-high five would-be shot takers during the win over Chaminade, the most in a single PacWest game this season. 

KNIGHTS' QUEST
Helping the Knights start 2-0 for the first time since the 2015-16 season was the duo of redshirt junior guard Christian Popoola Jr. and Williams as the two were named to the SF State Tip-Off Classic All-Tournament Team. For Popoola Jr., he averaged 15.5 points per game and was clutch at the free throw line against the Gators, becoming the fifth Urban Knight to be perfect at the line with at least 10 attempts in a single game by going 10-for-10. Williams chipped in an average of 12.5 points and a team-high 8.0 rebounds per game over the first two contests, including a double-double in his first game as a Knights where he dropped 19 points with 11 rebounds. Popoola Jr. also collected a PacWest Defender of the Week honor on Nov. 15, the first PacWest weekly award of his career, capping off a week where he averaged 3.5 steals per game as well as 7.0 defensive rebounds (eight total). 

Also key in the 2-0 start was Deang as he chipped in 13.5 ppg in the season-opening tournament and grabbed his own double-double during the win over the Seawolves with 20 points and 10 boards, going a perfect 9-for-9 from the field. He became only the second player in program history to post a perfect shooting percentage while making at least eight buckets, joining Aaron Aikman who did so on Nov. 9, 2013.

After a three-game slide that included losses to a pair of squads that now enjoy a national ranking in No. 4 Chico State and No. 15 Cal State San Bernardino, the Knights responded with a 90-78 win over Saint Martin's before capturing a signature win in the history of the program with a 79-60 defeat of UC Davis, the first victory over a DI opponent in the regular season in program history. ART U knocked down exactly half of their looks from the floor but hit on a season-best 61.5 percent (8-for-13) of their looks from downtown, the highest 3-point percentage in a game by a PacWest member school this season. 

PacWest action for the Knights began with an all-around impressive 91-71 toppling of Dominican, the largest win over the Penguins in program history (previous: 17 points, 79-62 on Feb. 1, 2019). Academy of Art showed their defensive grit and set a pair of their season highs that night, including 14 steals and six blocks, leading Bagley to be named the PacWest Defender of the Week on Dec. 6 thanks to a career-high four steals.

Following that was the first ever undefeated road trip to Southern California in ART U history, with an impressive 90-77 victory over Concordia before narrowly escaping 76-74 over Point Loma and the return of PacWest Preseason Player of the Year Kaden Anderson. Strong on the glass in the victories was Williams as he snatched a total of 15 defensive rebounds (22 total), becoming the third Urban Knight this year to be named the PacWest Defender of the Week on Dec. 13. 

The final PacWest game of 2021 saw the Urban Knights handily take down Chaminade in a 100-77 win effort, leaving ART U as the only remaining team without a loss in conference action and moving them into sole possession of first place. Additionally, ART U produced a four-game PacWest winning streak, the longest such streak in Urban Knights history. Starting with a 29-2 run in the first frame, the Knights would go on to set the third highest point total on the most field goals made (43) in program history. While the shooting hand of the Knights would cool a bit in the second frame, they still finished at a season-best 55.8 percent shooting from the floor. It was the third time the Knights hit triple digits in school history, and the first since they tied the program record with 107 points against Simon Fraser on Nov. 21, 2014. The scoring against CUH came on a season and program best 26 assists, tying the mark that they set against Holy Names on Feb. 13, 2020. 

Matched up against their second NCAA Division I opponent of the season, this time battling San Francisco neighbor USF, the Dons put an end to what had become the Urban Knights' six-game winning streak by giving ART U its first loss this season when reaching the 75-point mark. Leading all scorers was Deang with 21 points on 50 percent shooting (7-for-14) from the floor with a season-high four steals, while Slay chipped in 17 and totaled five assists for the second straight game. 

A pair of rematches against Point Loma and Concordia brought a 1-1 week, as ART U split the season's meetings with the Sea Lions but were able to sweep the Eagles for the first time in program history, while also tying the longest winning streak by either side in the all-time series (three games). Showing up defensively was Brown, who recorded five steals in both games while also averaging 5.5 defensive rebounds per game in being named the PacWest Defender of the Week on Jan. 10. He became the fourth Urban Knight to earn the award this season.

Tasked with playing three games in five days on the Hawaiian Islands, the Urban Knights came back with a 1-2 record thanks an 83-70 victory over Hawaii Pacific, though it was sandwiched between a pair of defeats at the hands of UH Hilo and Chaminade. Contributions came from all around on the trip but returning home with his second consecutive PacWest Weekly award was Brown, who was tabbed as the PacWest Defender of the Week on Jan. 17 thanks to an average of 2.5 steals, 1.5 blocks and 5.0 defensive rebounds per game.

ART U picked Fresno Pacific's pockets nine times in the second frame and a pair of Bagley three-balls cut the deficit to three, but the Knights wound up just short against the team that allows the fewest points per game in the PacWest, with the Sunbirds icing the game from the free throw line in the closing seconds. Five of those steals would belong to Brown, who claimed his third consecutive PacWest Defender of the Week award on Jan. 24 with an average of 4.0 steals and 3.0 defensive rebounds when including the contest against Chaminade. He is the only ART U men's basketball student-athlete to have earned the award multiple times in a single season, and is the first player to collect three or more PacWest weekly honors in a single year since Jase Harrison was named the Freshman of the Week four times during the 2014-15 campaign.

It was a tough week for the Urban Knights when matched up against the top two teams in the conference, as ART U took the No. 3 team in the West Region Biola into overtime but couldn't complete the late comeback as the Eagles squeezed in a layup with eight seconds left to snatch a 71-69 victory. Waiting was the No. 1 team in the PacWest standings, and Azusa Pacific proved their worth by defending their home court with a 75-70 win over the Knights. The fifth and final swipe of the game against APU from Brown was his 53rd of the year, a new ART U single-season program record after topping the previous record of 52 set by Alexis Moore in the 2013-14 campaign. 

Defensive grit was what ended the four-game skid for the Urban Knights, producing 13 steals and forcing 18 Dominican turnovers as ART U sealed a regular season series sweep over the Penguins with a 63-52 victory, the first time they have done so since they did it in back-to-back seasons starting in 2017-18 and again in 2018-19. Slay tallied nearly half of ART U's swipes with a career-high six steals en route to being named PacWest Defender of the Week, becoming the fifth Urban Knight to win the award in the season while it is the seventh time for ART U overall, both of which are PacWest records.

ART U finished last week with an unblemished 3-0 record, posting a pair of victories over Holy Names first on Feb. 9 before repeating the feat again on Feb. 11, and finally ending the week with a victory in a rematch over UH Hilo on Feb. 13. Allowing just 48 points to the Vulcans would lead to Academy of Art's largest margin of victory this season (+38), and is the fewest points allowed since they also allowed just 48 points surrendered to Notre Dame de Namur on Feb. 21, 2019. Meanwhile their work on the glass led to 50+ boards for the first time this season with a total of 55, which is now the second-most in a single game in program history (most: 58; vs. SFU 11/21/14). Junior forward Mike Asante was key for ART U, nearly averaging a double-double for the week with 15.7 ppg and 9.3 rpg, highlighted by his first double-double of the season in the second win over HNU where he dropped a career-best 23 points and snatched 11 boards. 

EAGLE-EYED
Recently Biola was rolling through the PacWest on an eight-game winning streak, but that came to an end with a loss to Point Loma followed by a loss to Azusa Pacific by just one point, 71-70, their last time on the court. Offense drives the Eagles as their 78.0 ppg are second in thd PacWest, helping build the third-best scoring margin in the conference at +7.3, while also appearing in the top third of most scoring categories. Biola also does the most work on the glass with an average of 39.0 rpg, but one area where they struggle is turnover margin where they are just seventh in the conference at -0.46. Chris Rossow leads the team in scoring with an average of 18.3 ppg, a mark that is fifth in the PacWest, which he pairs with an average of 4.8 assists per game, the most in the PacWest. Two other Eagles are averaging double-digits, with Alex Wright dropping 16.0 ppg to go with 7.0 rpg (tops on Biola), followed by Michael Bagatourian 15.0 ppg and 6.0 rpg. This will be just the seventh meeting all-time between the ART U and BU, with the Eagles leading the series 4-3 thanks to having won each of the past three games, including earlier this season by a 71-69 final in overtime. 

SUNDOWN FOR THE BIRDS
Winners in three of their past four games is Fresno Pacific, rebounding from a loss against UH Hilo with a win most recently against Hawaii Pacific by an eye-popping 86-45 final. Up and down has been the season for the Sunbirds, who only appear in the top half of the conference for shooting percentage, both overall and beyond the arc, as well as rebounds per game. Ball movement has been good for FPU as of late with double-digit assists in each of their past five games, and has shot above 45 percent from the floor in six contests. The 19.2 ppg from Jelani Watson-Gayle lead the Sunbirds and are third in the PacWest, who also chips in a team-high 2.6 assists per game. Meanwhile Darrin Person Jr. snatches the most rebounds per game with an average of 5.6 per game to go with 10.6 ppg, whiel Nate Kendricks rounds out the trio of Sunbirds in double-digits with an average of 12.1 per game. Heading into the 20th meeting between ART U and FPU, its the Sunbirds that hold the edge all-time by a 14-5 margin, having won each of the past six matchups including earlier this season on Jan. 22. 

ART U WINNING STREAK ENDS AT PAWS OF COUGARS, 78-69
A clash between two of the top teams in the Pacific West Conference standings lived up to the hype, with Academy of Art men's basketball looking to put the game away holding its largest lead midway through the second half, but a late run from Azusa Pacific would swing the game in APU's favor with a 78-69 PacWest win on Monday. 

LOOKING AHEAD
With no more regular season matchups, it is time for ART U to turn its focus to the PacWest Championships for the third consecutive campaign (no championships in 2020-21), as the Urban Knights will clash against the other top teams in the PacWest in Fresno, Calif. beginning on Mar. 2 to determine which teams will get to go dancing into the postseason.