Game #11
ART U Urban Knights (8-2) vs. #17 Pittsburgh State Gorillas (6-2)
Tuesday, December 17, 2012 at 1:00 PM MT
Las Vegas, NV – Orleans Arena
Live Stats | Live Audio | Live Video (PPV)

Game #12
ART U Urban Knights (8-2) vs. Central Missouri Mules (6-1)
Wednesday, December 18, 2012 at 12:00 PM MT
Las Vegas, NV – Orleans Arena
Live Stats | Live Audio | Live Video (PPV)

ART U TO FACE DIVISION II ELITE AT LAS VEGAS CHALLENGE
To this point, Academy of Art University women's basketball has conquered nearly every obstacle placed before them. Sporting an 8-2 record and undefeated at home, the Urban Knights now turn their attention to a pair of teams which until last week were both ranked among the Top 25 in the country. As the nation's leaders in turnover margin, ART U is more than ready to take on #17 Pittsburgh State and Central Missouri in Dixie State's Las Vegas Challenge.

OPENING TIP
The Urban Knights will open the Las Vegas Challenge with a matchup against Pittsburgh State on Tuesday, Dec. 17 tipping off at 1:00 PM MT (12:00 PM PT). The following afternoon, Wednesday, Dec. 18, ART U meets Central Missouri for a 12:00 MT (11:00 AM PT) start. All games will be played inside the Orleans Arena (one of the nation's leading mid-size arenas)  and have accompanying Live Stats and Live Audio (see above). 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 12.00 turnovers per game, Academy of Art University sits atop all of NCAA Division II in turnover margin. Thus far, the Knights have forced 289 turnovers while only committing 169 themselves. ART U also sits at sixth overall in the nation in steals per game average (15.8 spg) and sports a 77.6 points per game scoring average which not only leads the Pacific West Conference, but saw them move up to a 19th ranking in the country. Adding to their top marks, Academy of Art is averaging 4.9 blocks per game (21st in NCAA DII), 16.8 assists per game (33rd in NCAA DII), and a 0.99 assist-to-turnover ratio (36th in NCAA DII).

KNIGHT WATCH
With a host of threats on both sides of the ball, ART U is currently led by senior Ariel Dale's 14.4 points (8th in PacWest), 3.5 offensive rebounds (6th in PWC), and 2.9 steals per game (2nd in PWC). Senior Jordan Rogers adds 12.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game along with still the third highest free throw percentage in the conference (82.1%). Freshman Sha'Nice Storey exploded for eight steals in the win over Western Oregon which tied the program record and was complemented by 13 points. She now averages 10.5 points per game and earned her first PacWest Weekly Fantastic 15 honor along with Dale most recently. With five rejections against Western Oregon, senior Katy Wade officially set the new single season blocks record with 27 in total thus far. She currently ranks second in the PacWest in that category with 2.7 blocks per game in addition to 9.3 rebounds per game (5th in PWC).

ADORNED IN THE USA (WEEK 5)
After its fifth and highest appearance this past week, Academy of Art University maintained its place among the nation's top women's basketball teams recognized in the release of the Week 5 USA TODAY Sports Division II Top 25 women's basketball poll as determined by the USA Sports board of coaches, 33 members of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA). The Urban Knights have now defeated two opponents from the CCAA, three from the GNAC, one from the MIAA, and two from their own PacWest Conference to make them 5-of-5 in appearances on this distinguished poll.

PIT AGAINST STATE
Starting the season with four victories all by sizeable margins, #17 Pittsburgh State took care of Southwest Minnesota State 97-51 and Mary (N.D.) 80-60 in its own Tip-Off Classic then Evangel 68-40 and Avila 65-41 in Missouri Southern's Thanksgiving Classic. For a Gorillas squad that reached the Elite Eight last season (fell to Shaw 61-58), the first loss of the season came to William Jewell by two (68-66) though it was quickly followed up by a 71-65 victory over Quincy. Most recently, Pitt State split its first two Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) contests with a 70-62 loss to Central Oklahoma and an 82-65 win over Lindenwood. In six of eight games thus far, Lizzy Jeronimus has produced the points game-high and her 19.9 points per game currently ranks 19th in the country. She is 41-of-46 (89.1%) at the foul line and offers 5.9 rebounds per game as well. Jeronimus leads the way, but she is supported by Morgan Westhoff's 9.4 points per game and Lauren Brown's 7.1 rebounds per game as well. The Knights do hold a previous victory over the Gorillas which came on Nov. 18, 2009 in Dixie's Thanksgiving Tournament.

THE MIGHTY MULES
With six victories and just one loss thus far, Central Missouri has shown it has one of the top offenses in the country. UCM's 78.4 points per game average ranks 11th overall and comes from a 45.9 field goal percentage (12th in NCAA DII). The Mules began their season with a 92-49 victory over Webster then proceeded to crush Evangel 87-37. Hosting Harding, Central Missouri executed a 78-62 win then triumphed over St. Mary's (TX) 72-72 three days later. From there, the Mules topped Lewis 84-77, but dropped a 95-50 decision to MIAA opponent #17 Fory Hays State in the only instance where UCM's final point total fell below 74 this season. Most recently, the Mules had little problem taking care of #21 Emporia State in an 84-63 final that gave them their first conference victory. Like Pitt State, Central Missouri has one standout offensive star in Shelby Winklemann who averages 19.4 points per game good for 24th overall in the nation while shooting 61.4 percent from the field (9th in NCAA DII). BreAnna Lewis offers 15.6 points per game and Nicole Caddell has posted two double-doubles this year, averaging 12.1 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. The Knights and Mules have never met before and UCM will face Dixie State the day prior to its matchup with ART U.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL LOCKS UP EIGHTH WIN
Coming off a new program steals record on Dec. 8, the Urban Knights were at it again defensively in Thursday's matinee against Western Oregon. Academy of Art University moved to 4-0 at Kezar Pavilion and 8-2 on the season with an 81-53 win over the Wolves in which ART U scored nearly half its points off turnovers. Propelled by Dale's 18 points and Storey's eight steals to tie the single-game program record, the Knights built an early lead and eventually grew it to beyond 40 points for the victory.

LOOKING AHEAD
With the conclusion of Wednesday's game comes the end of ART U's competition for the 2012 calendar year. The New Year will bring a three-game roadtrip in Hawaii to resume PacWest play (Jan. 5-9) and then the Urban Knights return play their first home game of 2013 on Jan. 19 against UH Hilo.