Game #23
ART U Urban Knights (4-18, 3-13 PacWest) vs. Dominican Penguins (18-7, 11-6 PacWest)
Thursday, February 22, 2024 at 5 p.m.
Oakland, Calif. – Laney College Gym
Live Stats | Live Video

Game #24
ART U Urban Knights (4-18, 3-13 PacWest) vs. Fresno Pacific Sunbirds (18-6, 12-4 PacWest)
Saturday, February 24, 2024 at 5 p.m.
Fresno, Calif. – Special Events Center
Live Stats | Live Video

PENGUINS, SUNBIRDS NEXT UP IN SEASON'S PENULTIMATE WEEK
Academy of Art women's basketball closes in on its final four Pacific West Conference games of the season with rematches hosting Dominican and at Fresno Pacific on tap this week.

TIP-OFF
Wrapping up its current homestand this Thursday, Feb. 22 at 5 p.m. inside Laney College Gym, ART U will face Dominican for the second time this season. Another rematch then follows at Fresno Pacific on Saturday, Feb. 24 at 5 p.m. from the Sunbirds' Special Events Center. 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
At 3.3 blocks and 8.8 steals per game, Academy of Art remains third and fifth respectively in the PacWest as sophomore guard Alba Rovira Ayuso paces the squad on the offensive end, averaging 13.3 points per contest (third in PacWest). Her average is supported by the fifth-most 3-pointers made per game (1.6) while freshman guard Maddie Morrow is just ahead of her at 1.7 triples made per contest (fourth in PacWest) at a .336 average from beyond the arc (fifth in PacWest). Freshman guard Lucia Revenga, who is second on the team in scoring at 9.4, multiple steals in five of her last six games toward a conference-leading 2.4 steals per contest.

Both inside the conference's top 10 in blocks per game, forward/center Christy Ojide (1.2) and junior forward Yasmine Sifaoui (0.9 blocks) are also the Knights' top two rebounders at 6.6 (fifth in PacWest) and 6.3 (12th in PacWest) boards per contest.

PENGS: PART TWO
Since defeating ART U back on Jan. 20, Dominican has been in a battle among the top four teams in the PacWest standings. The Penguins' seven-game win streak was broken up by Point Loma, initiating a 1-4 stretch for DUC until a 65-46 victory over UH Hilo came earlier this week. Dominican's top three-point field goal percentage in the conference stands at .340 and has helped the Penguins rank second in scoring at 68.4 points per game with Keyonee Neal's 13.2 points per contest sitting fourth overall. Though DUC has had the edge in the last five matchups, the all-time series favors Academy of Art 19-12.

INTO THE SUN
Vying to finish as one of the PacWest's top teams like Dominican, Fresno Pacific started its current three-game win streak by topping ART U on Feb. 10 ahead of wins over Dominican and Chaminade. The Sunbirds, who host UH Hilo before ending a four-part homestand with a rematch against the Knights, can be found atop the conference rankings in fewest opponent points allowed (58.0 per game) while adding the second highest rebounds per game average (39.1). Felicia Dourva has been FPU's leading scorer at 12.1 points per contest while Maesyn Rix has been far and away the PacWest's best rebounder at 9.4 rebounds per game (a full 2.0 more than the next closest). The win earlier this season pulled Fresno Pacific to even with Academy of Art 11-11 in the historical matchup.

OSCILLATING QUARTERS END UP FAVORING VULCANS OVER KNIGHTS
Jumping out to a 14-3 lead with a hot start, Academy of Art women's basketball found UH Hilo up by nine at halftime before the Urban Knights' third-quarter comeback was countered by a final push from the Vulcans to a 64-50 Pacific West Conference victory inside Laney College Gym on Feb. 17.

LOOKING AHEAD
The last week of the season will feature two more PacWest rematches as ART U hosts Biola for Women's Empowerment Day on Feb. 29 then Senior Day sees the Knights challenge Point Loma on Mar. 2.