Game #3
ART U Urban Knights (1-1) at No. 22 Chico State Wildcats (2-0)
Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023 at 3 p.m.
Chico, Calif. – Acker Gymnasium
Live Stats | Live Video | Live Audio

Game #4
ART U Urban Knights (1-1) vs. Stanislaus State Pioneers (2-1)
Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023 at 3 p.m.
San Francisco – Kezar Pavilion
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Game #5
ART U Urban Knights (2-0) vs. Saint Martin's Saints (3-0)
Friday, Nov. 24, 2023 at 3 p.m.
San Francisco – Kezar Pavilion 
Live Stats | Live Video

MORE FAMILIAR OPPONENTS
Academy of Art men's basketball is coming off a win from the SF State Tip-Off Classic last weekend against a California Collegiate Athletic Association opponent, and continues to battle with members from the CCAA as the Urban Knights set their sights on No. 22 Chico State and Stanislaus State, with Saint Martin's following thereafter.

TIP-OFF
Saturday's battle with the Wildcats takes place from Acker Gymnasium in Chico, Calif. at 3 pm, while the Urban Knights line up against the Warriors for ART U's home opener from Kezar Pavilion on Wednesday, Nov. 22 at 3 p.m. The contest against Saint Martin's will also take place at home, with a 3 p.m. tip-off on Friday, Nov. 24. 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
In their last outing, the Knights hit on 46.6 percent (27-for-58) of their looks from the floor, making up for a slow start where they made just 36.4 percent (20-for-55) in the season opener. Three-point shooting was key in the win for Academy of Art over the Gators, going 8-for-14 (57.1 percent) on their attempts from deep. Ball movement has been impressive with double-digit assists each game (12.5 per game), and ART U snagged a total of 30 rebounds in their battle against SFSU.

Junior forward Isaiah Williams has started his first season with the Knights hot as he was the go-to guy in overtime-play against Sonoma State, recording seven-straight points in OT while adding on three rebounds, two steals, and one block in the match. He continued his dominant run in the game against SF State, where he led his team to victory with a 21-point performance with six rebounds, four steals, and one block.

Another key piece to ART U's success at the SF State Tip-Off Classic was junior forward Jamal Fuller, who is averaging 15.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game through two contests. As Fuller showed out at both sides of the floor, senior forward Latrell Williams was doing the same. The Gary, Ind. native has added on 12.5 points per game and has done his part on defense, which includes helping prevent a Seawolves game-winning shot in the final seconds of regulation. Junior guard Treylon Payne, who got his second block of the half on the play, has already proven to be another key add for the Knights' roster from this past off-season, as he's recorded a statistic in every category with his 4.5 points per game, seven assists, three steals, and two blocks. 

TRAINING THE WILDCATS
Coming off a 2-0 start to the season, the No. 22 Chico State Wildcats only saw victory at their home tournament last weekend, as they started off with a win against Azusa Pacific with a 77-70 score while adding on another tally in the win column against Seattle Pacific, ending 70-56 in the Wildcats' favor. Both of Chico State's games have been all-around team wins, with all members making valuable contributions towards the squad's success. In both contests, every Wildcat that saw the court scored, with a few players having similar statistics to lead the squad. In their game against APU, four players scored double-digit points with a high of 12 from Evan Oliver off the bench while their starting five scored a low of seven and high of 11. In the game battling SPU, there were wider margins in scoring from one another, but also included another four-player double-digit performance, led again by Oliver. Academy of Art will look to create a winning streak against the Wildcats, as ART U took the last matchup soundly last year at home on Nov. 19, 2022 by a final of 84-57. Chico State controls the all-time series 7-1. 

WARDING-OFF WARRIORS
Stanislaus State started their year off with an overtime loss to No. 11 Point Loma with a 82-79 final score in the PacWest/CCAA Conference Challenge. The Warriors bounced back with two consecutive victories beating Fresno Pacific 56-53 and Dominican 63-60, playing close in three-point games. The Warriors have shot 39.6 percent to start the year, while draining their shots from three 30.5 percent of the time. Leading the way in scoring thus far is John Wade III, averaging 13.5 points per game while Dontrell Hewlett adds on 10.0 per game and Tony Singleton tacks on 9.0 more per contest. Daniel Ameyaw averages the most rebounds of the squad (6.7), with Wade III right behind (6.0). Wednesday's game will serve as a follow-up to the teams' meeting last year where the Warriors defeated the Knights 75-69 in an exciting matchup from start to finish. Stan State leads the all-time series, 4-1. 

SILENCING THE SAINTS
As the Saints enter this game coming off a losing effort to the Knights in overtime at the NCAA Tournament, Saint Martin's enters the matchup at 3-0 overall. While beating Hawai'i Hilo 91-80 and then Westmont 75-64, both by double-digit points, SMU continued their hot-streak by taking down No. 11 Point Loma 66-58. Leading the Saints has been Kyle Greeley, who leads Saint Martin's in scoring average (18.3 points per game), while Tyke Thompson leads in rebounding (9.7 per game), which ranks currently third in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. Kaden Hansen (12.7) and Myles Samuels (10.0) are the only other Saints to average double-digit points as they hold the second-most wins in their conference this early in the season. Looking for their fourth straight victory over Saint Martin's, the Urban Knights hold the lead in the all-time series 3-2. 

MEN'S BASKETBALL TOPS SF STATE TO NET SEASON'S FIRST WIN 
Academy of Art men's basketball became victorious for the first time this season after the conclusion of the Nov. 11 contest against SF State while displaying a strong all-around game, shooting 57.1 percent from three while taking care of the ball with 14 assists to produce a 79-66 win over the Gators in the SF State Tip-Off Classic. 

LOOKING AHEAD
The Urban Knights will continue their homestand with a matchup against Jessup on Dec. 1 before beginning Pacific West Conference play against Azusa Pacific on Dec. 7.