Game #27
ART U Urban Knights (19-7, 14-4 PacWest) vs. BU Eagles (16-10, 11-7 PacWest)
Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.
Oakland, Calif. – Laney College Gym
Live Stats | Live Video

Game #28
ART U Urban Knights (19-7, 14-4 PacWest) vs. PLNU Sea Lions (18-8, 13-5 PacWest)
Saturday, Mar. 2, 2024 at 3:30 p.m. *Senior Day*
San Francisco – SF State - Main Gymnasium
Live Stats | Live Video

THE END IS NEAR
Academy of Art men's basketball prepares for its final two Pacific West Conference contests of the regular season this week, beginning with a rematch at home against Biola before the season finale and ART U's Senior Day against Point Loma. Prior to tip-off against PLNU, there will be a pregame ceremony to honor the Urban Knights who will be competing in their final home contests with the program this week.

TIP-OFF
Thursday's clash with the Eagles will commence at 7:30 p.m., while the regular season concludes on Saturday against the Sea Lions beginning at 3:30 p.m. 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
Academy of Art recently had pushed its winning streak to five games for the second time this season after a 72-49 win against Fresno Pacific on Feb. 24 at their place, and look to keep the momentum going headed into two huge games against Biola and Point Loma. ART U is currently 19-7 overall and 14-4 in conference as they're 1-1 against their upcoming opponents so far this season. 

While junior forward Jamal Fuller leads the team in points per game (18.2) as he is near the leader in the PacWest Conference (second place), he is also in second when it comes to most points scored in a single-season in ART U program history, as his current 474 is just 41 points shy of Stefan Milivojevic's record (515). With just eight more baskets, the Toronto native would record the most in a season as well, once again taking away a Milivojevic record (180). If Fuller were to keep his same pace in points per game, he would also become the leader for points average in a season, as it would overtake Andrija Blatancic's record (17.8). 

Already the all-time leader in total rebounds, senior forward Latrell Williams needs just 12 more to better his single-season record set just last year (252). Williams is currently tied with the highest average in rebounds in the PacWest this season (9.3), and if maintained would take over Andrija Blatancic's single-season record for ART U (8.8).

Within the PacWest statistical rankings, more key contributors help out the squad when it comes to their first-place position, as redshirt sophomore Eli Taylor ranks atop the leaders in assists (sixth place) with 2.8 per contest, junior forward Isaiah Williams ranks near the leaders in blocks (sixth place), and multiple Knights rank top 10 in steals average, as Isaiah Williams leads the squad (third place), with junior guard Treylon Payne (tied sixth), Latrell Williams (tied sixth), and junior guard Rodney Munson (eighth place) all within the leaders as well. 

EAGLE-EYED
The current fourth seed in Biola is coming off back-to-back wins after getting swept on their three-game PacWest Hawaii trip, and are now on a burst of energy with their most recent contest being their Senior Day where they found a 79-58 win over Hawaii Pacific. Offensively, the Eagles hold the third-best average score in the conference scoring 73.5 points per game, 8.3 points less per contest than the Knights (81.8). The Eagles will turn to Nathan Medina to find an offensive spark, as he holds the team-high in points per game on the squad while being third in the PacWest (17.5). Daniel Esparza is next up on the squad when it comes to scoring buckets, as he is knocking on the door of the top 10 averages in the conference (14.3 ppg). Maximo Milovich is right at the top of the leaderboard in terms of rebounding with Latrell Williams, as they hold the same average (9.3) and are neck and neck as the two fight for the PacWest rebounding title. Although the Eagles came out victorious against the Knights this season by just three points on Dec. 16, the teams are 5-5 all-time against one another.

SEA YA LATER, LIONS
Just a game back in the PacWest standings in second are the Sea Lions with a 13-5 conference record, playing catch up to the Knights as the squads square off for the PacWest regular season title. ART U got some help from Westmont as they took down PLNU in their most recent matchup, as the Sea Lions were on a three-game win streak previous to that game. PLNU will battle with Dominican two days prior to meeting with ART U on the pair's last regular season game in a contest where a win is needed to have a chance to attempt to steal the title from the Knights. Point Loma holds the fourth-best offense in the conference as they're right behind Biola (72.9 ppg) while they're middle of the pack in the PacWest in defense (sixth) as they give up 70.5 points a contest. Zack Paulsen leads the team in scoring (14.6 ppg) while Wynton Brown holds it down on the opposite end with the team-high in rebounds (6.0 rpg). As the Knights came out victorious earlier this month on Feb. 3, the Sea Lions are 16-5 in all-time meetings.

KNIGHTS WIN FIFTH STRAIGHT, DEFEAT FPU IN 72-49 TRIUMPH
Academy of Art men's basketball completed a five-game win streak for the second time this season on Feb. 24 after their 72-49 victory over Fresno Pacific as the squad came back from an early deficit and dominated the rest of the way on Saturday night in Special Events Center.

LOOKING AHEAD
With no more regular season matchups, it is time for ART U to turn its focus to the PacWest Championship Tournament for the fifth consecutive campaign, as the Urban Knights will clash against the other top teams in the conference in San Diego, Calif. beginning on Mar. 7 to determine which teams will potentially get to go dancing into the postseason.