Game #1
ART U Urban Knights (0-0) vs. Humboldt State Lumberjacks (0-0)
Friday, November 9, 2012 at 5:00 PM
Hayward, CA – Pioneer Gym
Live Stats

Game #2
ART U Urban Knights (0-0) vs. Cal State East Bay Pioneers (0-0)
Saturday, November 10, 2012 at 5:00 PM
Hayward, CA – Pioneer Gym
Live Stats

ACADEMY OF ART TO FACE JACKS, PIONEERS IN OPENING WEEKEND
Poised for an exciting encore to the best season in program history, ART U Women's Basketball officially begins its 2012-13 campaign in the CCAA/PacWest Challenge this Friday and Saturday. The Urban Knights come off a scare of Division I Sacramento State (Hornets managed a slim four-point margin with 6:45 left) and will meet Humboldt State and Cal State East Bay, two teams that qualified for the CCAA Championship Tournament last season, on Friday and Saturday respectively.

OPENING TIP
Representing the PacWest Conference as part of the CCAA/PacWest Challenge, ART U matches up with Humboldt State on Friday, Nov. 9 at 5:00 PM inside CSUEB's Pioneer Gym. Back there the following evening, Saturday, Nov. 10, Academy of Art will face host Cal State East Bay with the same tipoff time of 5:00 PM. Live Stats will be available for both contests. Remember to follow @ARTU_Knights on Twitter and "Like" the Urban Knights on Facebook for score updates, videos, and recaps.

KNIGHT WATCH
In the brief preview of this year's team during the exhibition matchup with Sacramento State, Academy of Art University displayed a variety of talent. Senior Katy Wade posted a double-double in the form of 14 points and 14 rebounds to go with five blocks and three steals in a dynamic debut. The freshmen tandem of Regina Camera and Jasmin Guinn each contributed nine points off the bench and combined for nine rebounds. In addition to the new faces, the Urban Knights return seniors Ariel Dale and Jordan Rogers from the 2011-12 All-PacWest Second Team. Last year, Dale averaged 8.7 points per game and her 64 steals were among the PacWest leaders. Rogers was a Top 20 scorer in the conference (10.2 ppg) and did much of her damage beyond the arc with 1.6 3-pointers made per game (5th in PacWest).

PIONEERS RISING IN THE EAST
Under third-year head coach Suzy Barcomb and associate head coach Holli Howard-Carpenter, the 2011-12 Pioneers made a dramatic improvement, raising their win total from four to 12 and making an appearance in the CCAA Championship Tournament in their first year of eligibility. It was just a three-point loss to eventual tournament champion Cal State Monterey that concluded CSUEB's season at 9-13 in conference and 12-17 overall.

Among the top returners will be second-team All-CCAA Marlene MacMillan, who ranked fourth in the conference in rebounding (9.5 rpg) to go with 9.9 points per game, Lauren Lucchesi, scorer of 26 points in a nine-point exhibition loss to 70-53 to San Jose State last Saturday, and CCAA Freshman of the Year Micah Walker (9.0 ppg). The Pioneers also added three transfers, Meaghan Cichoke (Eastern Washington), Rachel Finnegan (San Jose State), and Sabrina Swayzer (Ohlone College). 

HUM-BOLDLY LOOKING TO BUILD ON LAST YEAR'S SUCCESS
Humboldt State, who went 19-8 overall in 2011-12, wound up finishing second in the CCAA (15-7) after Chico State defeated HSU in the first round of the CCAA Championship Tournament. The Lumberjacks were hot down the stretch, winning six of their last seven games heading into the tournament.

Humboldt State's experience from last year comes with seniors Lisa Petty and Caitie Richards, as well as juniors Elle Anderson and Kelly Kime, who saw limited action. The tandem of Petty, a first team All-CCAA selection who averaged 13.6 points per game, and Richards (10.5 ppg) will guide the Jacks in 2012-13. This year's Jacks team also features seven freshmen.

2011-12 SEASON IN REVIEW
In an absolute thrill-ride of a season, Academy of Art University women's basketball achieved numerous firsts while posting the best record in program history. The Urban Knights enjoyed the most consecutive victories by any ART U team with their nine-game win streak, vied for a Pacific West Conference title, and even knocked off the PacWest's only ranked team, Grand Canyon (#16 at the time), late in the year. The 2011-12 campaign featured many remarkable achievements and was only the beginning for head coach LaNay Larson. Read more about the year's highlights here.

LOOKING AHEAD
Next weekend, Urban Knights Tipoff Weekend, marks the first two home games at Kezar Pavilion for the Urban Knights this season. On Friday, Nov. 16, ART U plays host to Alaska Fairbanks at 5:00 PM. Then Sunday, Nov. 18 features a 1:00 PM pairing with Nebraska Kearney.