KNIGHT WATCH
ART U continues to hang its hat on defense with a turnover margin (4.95) that ranks first in the PacWest and 19th in the country. The Urban Knights are also first in the conference in steals per game (9.9) and have more often than not turned those thefts into points, ranking third in the PacWest in scoring (74.5 points per game). With no fewer than 13 offensive rebounds in their past three games, Academy of Art is just a few fractions of an offensive rebound behind BYU-Hawaii and Azusa Pacific with a 16.2 average.

With nine regular season games left, junior guard Zoie Sheng's 13.3 points per game average (15th in PacWest) leads the way. She is fourth in the PacWest in free throws (82 percent), but has the most attempts than any other player in the Top 10. Fellow junior guard Sha'Nice Storey has seen her points per game rise to 13.0 after averaging over 15.0 last week. She is among the conference's Top 10 in both 3-point shooting (35.4 percent) and 3-pointers made per game (2.1).

Junior guard Jasmin Guinn (12.4 points per game) comes off two scoring career-highs last week with 22 points against Chaminade then 23 points versus Hawaii Pacific. She is 10th in the PacWest in rebounds per game (7.9). She needs just four more steals to become the program's career leader.

RED STORM RIDING ROUGH STRETCH
The 70-67 victory ART U earned over Dixie State to finish the past calendar year on Dec. 31 came at the beginning of a stretch where the Red Storm lost six of seven including DSU's Hawaii roadtrip. Dixie State's lone victory was 75-68 over Chaminade on Jan. 6 and they have since lost four straight as they head into a Jan. 29 matchup with Dominican. The team is led offensively by Kayla Miller (14.2 points per game) with the support of Taylor Mann (10.6 points and 9.2 rebounds per game). The Knights' win earlier this year narrowed the gap in the historical matchup to 6-5 Dixie State.

SEEING THE SEA LIONS ONCE AGAIN
Still the PacWest's top defensive team since their previous meeting with ART U on Jan. 14, Point Loma is allowing just 64.3 points per game from its opponents. The Sea Lions have one more win and one less loss than the Knights to make them fifth in the PacWest standings as they begin their Northern California swing with Holy Names (Jan. 29) and Notre Dame de Namur (Jan. 31) prior to the Feb. 2 contest versus Academy of Art. PLNU's 75-58 win hosting the Knights came as part of a five-game win streak which recently ended with an 80-70 loss to California Baptist. Point Loma's two primary scoring threats, Jessica Escorza (14.9 ppg) and Madison West (12.9 ppg), combined for 31 points on Jan. 14 and West is the PacWest's leader in both 3-point shooting (45.2 percent) and 3-point field goals made (2.9). In the historical matchup, ART U is on top 3-1 with their first loss to the Sea Lions coming this season.

ACADEMY OF ART EXITS CLOSE HAWAII BATTLES 1-2
ART U started its five-game homestand with a trio of PacWest Hawaii opponents, dominating Chaminade then falling in two nail-biter contests to Hawaii Pacific and BYU-Hawaii. The Knights' victory over Chaminade on Jan. 19 saw Academy of Art jump out to a 30-point lead in the first half and coast to the 80-61 final score. ART U then fought back from a 10-point deficit early in the second half against Hawaii Pacific on Jan. 22 and had a chance to win on Storey's 3-point attempt, but it did not fall and a 72-71 HPU win was the end result. Finally, with BYUH in town on Jan. 24, the Knights and Seasiders endured five lead changes and Academy of Art again had an opportunity to take the lead in the final seconds, but BYU-Hawaii held on for the 72-68 victory.

LOOKING AHEAD
The Urban Knights remain in the Bay Area for their next four games, beginning with a trip to Oakland on Feb. 7 to face Holy Names then returning home to host Fresno Pacific on Feb. 11.