GAME #15
ART U Urban Knights (3-11, 0-4 PacWest) vs. DSC Red Storm (7-4, 0-1 PacWest)
Monday, Jan. 17, 2011 at 7:30 PM
San Francisco, CA - Kezar Pavilion
Live Stats
Live Audio
ART U Twitter
GAME #16
ART U Urban Knights (3-11, 0-4 PacWest) vs. GCU Antelopes (6-5, 1-0 PacWest)
Thursday, Jan. 20, 2011 at 7:30 PM
San Francisco, CA - Kezar Pavilion
Live Stats
Live Audio
ART U Twitter
Game Notes
FIRST PACWEST HOME GAMES ON TAP FOR ART U
The Academy of Art University men's basketball team returns from a tough Hawaii roadtrip looking to make a statement at home. Now with five consecutive contests inside the Urban Knights' Kezar Pavilion, ART U is poised to battle Pacific West Conference opponents on its home turf. Dixie State and Grand Canyon are up first on Monday, Jan. 17 and Thursday, Jan. 20 respectively.
OPENING TIP
Academy of Art University's homestand begins on Monday, Jan. 17 with Dixie State in town. Then, on Thursday, Jan. 20, Grand Canyon faces ART U for the first time this season. Both contests are scheduled to tipoff at 7:30 PM following the women's games inside Kezar Pavilion. The game will carry Live Stats, Live Audio, and live score updates will also appear on the Academy of Art University Athletics Twitter.
KNIGHT WATCH
Freshman forward William Overton, Jr. earned his fourth PacWest Weekly honor last week and continues to lead the conference in scoring (19.0 points per game). In Hawaii, Overton, Jr. posted a high of 19 points at Chaminade on Jan. 8. Junior forward Keith Davis also made significant contributions during the ART U roadtrip. He averaged 16.8 points per contest over the four games along with 3.5 rebounds. Junior center Hunter Hayden, who leads the team in rebounding average (6.5 rebounds per game), collected 24 rebounds on the islands.
SCOUTING THE RED STORM
Dixie State's non-conference season saw several victories, but none may have been sweeter than a 68-61 win over Seattle Pacific, the #10 ranked Division II team in the country at the time, on Nov. 20. The Red Storm would later close out non-PacWest play with three more victories, including a 110-41 result against Pacifica College on Dec. 4. However, Grand Canyon defeated DSC 71-68 in the first conference game prior to their matchup with ART U. Forward Tom Whitehead leads the team offensively with a 16.5 points per game scoring average. Behind the fourth leading scorer in the conference, forward Griffon Jones averages 11.5 points per contest for the PacWest's top defensive team (Dixie State allows opponents just 62.3 ppg).
SCOUTING THE ANTELOPES
After two difficult tournaments in late November and early December, Grand Canyon has gained momentum heading into PacWest play. The 'Lopes won two contests in their own GCU Tournament, convincingly topped Southwestern College on Dec. 30, and then took down Dixie State 71-68 in their first conference game. Grand Canyon is led by guard Kyle Speed who currently paces the PacWest in three-point field goal percentage (.538) and assist to turnover ratio (5.1). The 'Lopes have four players who have made 14 or more 3-pointers this season. GCU is scheduled to play Notre Dame de Namur on Jan. 18 prior to facing the Knights.
ART U PLAYS HARD IN HAWAII
The challenges came early for ART U in 2011 with the PacWest Conference season beginning in Hawaii. Each of the four games had their close and exciting moments, but the Knights just could not come away with a victory.
Overton, Jr. helped ART U start off with 15 of his 17 points in the second half against Hawaii-Hilo on Jan. 6. Academy of Art rallied to within seven points late in the period, though the Vulcans prevailed 78-64. Versus Chaminade on Jan. 8, the Urban Knights went back and forth, eventually coming down to the wire in the end. The game saw 11 lead changes and five ties with 3-pointers from Davis and Overton, Jr. bringing ART U within a single point in the final seconds. While that tandem combined for 39 points, the Silverswords ended up winning 70-66.
The Knights then hung with BYU-Hawaii early on in their Jan. 10 contest. Davis, who had 18 points in the game, scored heavily early on, but a 21-4 run by the Seasiders late in the first half eventually propelled them to a 79-62 win. Concluding the trip at Hawaii Pacific on Jan. 12, Academy of Art weathered an early deficit and executed a 19-5 burst to get back into the contest. However, HPU managed to hold on for a 78-60 decision.
LOOKING AHEAD
Men's basketball continues its five-game homestand on Tuesday, Jan. 25 with a pair of rematches against Hawaii schools. Hawaii-Hilo comes to Kezar Pavilion first followed by Hawaii Pacific on Jan. 27.
