Game #22
ART U Urban Knights (14-7, 7-4 PWC) vs. Dixie State Red Storm (9-10, 7-4 PWC)
Saturday, February 9, 2013 at 1:00 PM
San Francisco, CA – Kezar Pavilion
Live Stats | Live Audio

FIRST MEETING WITH DIXIE ON DECK
Coming out of its Southern California roadtrip 1-2 after a heartbreaking 74-73 loss to Azusa Pacific in the waning seconds, Academy of Art University Women's Basketball plays host to Dixie State, head coach LaNay Larson's former team, this Saturday. Though their overall records differ significantly, the Urban Knights and Red Storm come into this weekend with identical 7-4 Pacific West Conference records and are both tied for fourth in the PacWest standings.

OPENING TIP
ART U takes on Dixie State this Saturday, Feb. 9 in a 1:00 PM matchup at Kezar Pavilion. Live Stats and Live Audio will be available for this weekend's contest. Remember to follow @ARTU_Knights on Twitter and "Like" the Urban Knights on Facebook for score updates, videos, and recaps.

NATIONAL RANKINGS: DOMINANT DEFENSE
At a difference of 9.79 turnovers per game, Academy of Art University sits atop all of NCAA Division II in turnover margin. Thus far, the Knights have forced 501 turnovers while only committing 315 themselves. ART U is also #2 in the country in steals per game average (15.5 spg) and is currently 8th in scoring average (77.8 ppg). Adding to their top marks, Academy of Art is averaging 17.6 assists per game (11th in NCAA DII), 4.9 blocks per game (24th in NCAA DII), a 1.06 assist-to-turnover ratio (19th in NCAA DII), and a scoring margin of 10.9 ppg (38th in NCAA DII).

KNIGHT WATCH
A truly democratic team both offensively and defensively, Academy of Art has four of its players averaging double figures in points per game and two more at 8.0 ppg or higher. Senior Jordan Rogers, the PacWest's ninth leading scorer at 13.9 ppg, has gotten over a third of her points at the foul line where she is shooting 80.6 %. Senior Katy Wade, one of the nation's finest shot blockers (ranks 16th in NCAA DII) has continued to build on the program's new single-season blocks record (51) and currently averages 2.4 blocks as well as 9.5 rebounds per game. Sporting a PacWest-leading 3.0 steals per game, senior Ariel Dale (11.8 ppg) has led by example for the dominant ART U defense this season. Freshman Sha'Nice Storey (11.8 ppg), and freshman Regina Camera (10.4 ppg) are the other two Knights consistently scoring in double figures.

RED ALERT: KNIGHTS AND STORM NOW EQUAL IN PACWEST STANDINGS
Dixie State's 2012-13 season started in dramatic fashion with the Red Storm prevailing 80-75 in overtime against Cal Poly Pomona. After three consecutive losses (two to Montana State-Billings), DSC opened up a five-game winning streak which included the start to PacWest play. After defeating California Baptist 63-56 to start the new year, Dixie went into double overtime against #13 Grand Canyon, but ultimately fell 73-71. Since that time, the Red Storm have gone 2-3 with leading scorer Johnna Brown taking charge since the beginning of the conference portion of the season. Brown is averaging 17.6 points and 12.9 rebounds per game in 10 PacWest contests thus far. She has shot over 51.0 % from the field in that span and has had the support of Erica Hayes (10.1 ppg). Historically, Dixie State has held an advantage of five victories in six meetings with ART U, however, the first Knights win came in the final seconds last January 3, 2011 and sparked a stretch where Academy of Art won 10 or 11 games.

ART U FALLS TO AZUSA PACIFIC IN HEARTBREAKER
Urban Knights Women's Basketball experienced a true rollercoaster ride in its final stop of its three-game Southern California roadtrip on Monday evening. From down nine points to up 14 to tied with Azusa Pacific 73-73 with a minute to go, Academy of Art had one final long-range attempt to win the game in the final seconds, however, it did not fall and the Cougars pulled off a 74-73 win as time expired. Rogers' team-high 14 points mixed with a dominant ART U bench, but it was not enough within the confines of the Felix Event Center.

LOOKING AHEAD
The matchup with Dixie State marks the beginning of a five-game homestand which will feature some of the top teams in the PacWest Conference. ART U hosts Grand Canyon (Feb. 14) and Fresno Pacific (Feb. 16) next week at College of San Mateo and Cal State East Bay respectively.