KNIGHT WATCH
Up to 80.3 points per game, the Urban Knights rank 22nd in the entire NCAA Division II in scoring offense, but are still second to Hawaii Pacific (84.7 ppg) in the PacWest. ART U is also second in turnover margin (2.38) and assist-to-turnover ratio (0.90) as well as third in 3-point percentage (.343). Junior Krystal Forthan is the team's scoring leader at 16.8 points per game (4th in PacWest) and ranks top 10 in both rebounding (8.5 rpg) and blocks (1.8 bpg) again all in 22.1 minutes per game. Despite her three double-doubles coming in the first four games, she still ranks in the country's top 50 in that category. Forthan remains 11 blocks away from tying Katy Wade's all-time career record of 76 rejections.

A breakout 30-point career-high from junior guard Zoie Sheng versus NDNU moved her up to 14th in the PacWest in scoring at 13.6 points per game. To date, she and teammate Sha'Nice Storey are the only Urban Knights to have ever eclipsed 30+ points. A sizeable chunk of her production has come from the foul line where she is 53-for-60 (.883) and had the fourth-most free throws made in the country coming into this week. With three assists at NDNU, Sheng is averaging 3.3 apg (9th in PacWest) and now has 220 in her career and finds herself 13 off of Sondra Stilwell's record 233. Storey had a productive game herself against the Argos, scoring 17 points with a pair of 3-pointers to give her a team-high 18 on the year. She is now averaging 12.3 points per game and ranks 30th in the country with a .474 percentage from long range (2nd in PacWest).

Junior guard Regina Camera is the fourth Urban Knight averaging double figures offensively with 10.6 points as well as 3.1 assists per game (10th in PacWest). Last Saturday, junior guard Jasmin Guinn made a big leap towards Jessica Nolan's second-most career rebounds in ART U history. Her season-high of 14 boards against the Argos gave her 433 in her career behind Nolan's 464. Guinn is averaging 8.3 rebounds (11th in PacWest) to go with 9.0 points per game.

CRUSADERS CRUISE IN
After starting the year with a one-point loss to Division I Boise State in an exhibition, Northwest Nazarene dropped a pair of contests to the PacWest's Hawaii Pacific (100-81) and California Baptist (96-94) in NNU's own Tip-Off Classic. From there, the Crusaders stayed local, defeating The College of Idaho 90-59 and Carroll College (MO) 78-75 while losing to Idaho State 88-69. NNU then split its first two GNAC opponents, falling 70-68 to Western Oregon and bettering Saint Martin's 73-67. Northwest Nazarene carries four individuals who average around 12.0 points per game, led by CoCo Gall (12.8 ppg). Gall, the team's top rebounder (7.3 rpg) has done most of her damage from the field while Lexi Tubbs (12.7 ppg) is the team's top long range shooter (13-for-37 3PT) and Taylor Simmons (12.4 ppg) has converted on 35 of her 44 trips to the foul line. Ellie Logan (11.9 ppg) has taken the most field goals on the team and is second in field goal percentage (.462). In ART U and NNU's only meeting to date, the Crusaders prevailed 66-62 back on Nov. 23, 2012 despite a game-tying 3-point attempt from then freshman Zoie Sheng.

SHENG'S CAREER DAY LEADS ART U TO 89-77 WIN
At Notre Dame de Namur on Dec. 6, Academy of Art University played the style of basketball that earned the Urban Knights two Pacific West Conference championships. En route to the 89-77 victory, ART U scored 39 points off a season-high 31 turnovers and Zoie Sheng poured in a career-high 30 points including four 3-pointers. The Knights were up by 12 at the half and matched the Argonauts in the second half to capture the win in the start of PacWest play.

"As a team we came out determined to be the harder working team," said Sheng. "We thrived off of our press and the intensity was there today. We took advantage of the steals we got and that's why we were able to keep pressing and generate more turnovers."

LOOKING AHEAD
PacWest play resumes next week with matchups set against the top two teams in the conference in California Baptist (Dec. 16) and Azusa Pacific (Dec. 20) taking place inside Kezar Pavilion.