GAME #8
California Baptist (7-1, 1-0 PacWest) at Academy of Art (3-4, 1-0 PacWest)
Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2014 – 7:30 p.m.
San Francisco – Kezar Pavilion
LIVE VIDEO/STATS | LIVE AUDIO
 
GAME #9
Azusa Pacific (9-1, 2-0 PacWest) at Academy of Art (3-4, 1-0 PacWest)
Saturday, Dec. 20, 2014 – 3 p.m.
San Francisco – Kezar Pavilion
LIVE VIDEO/STATS | LIVE AUDIO
 
SAN FRANCISCO — The Academy of Art University men's basketball team faces its biggest challenge yet in 2014-15 when it opens its home Pacific West Conference schedule this week with games against No. 17-ranked California Baptist and No. 24 Azusa Pacific.
The Urban Knights (3-4, 1-0 PacWest) face the Lancers (7-1, 1-0 PacWest) at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday as part of a doubleheader with the women's team. The Cougars (9-1, 2-0) visit for a 3 p.m. tipoff on Saturday in another doubleheader cap with the women. All games will be at Kezar Pavilion.
 
All three teams are among five in the PacWest with unbeaten conference records. Azusa Pacific joins Dominican (Calif.) and BYU-Hawaii as the only teams with 2-0 records, while California Baptist and Academy of Art are the lone 1-0 teams.
 
ABOUT CALIFORNIA BAPTIST
The Lancers (7-1, 1-0 PacWest) have won three in a row since losing their first game of the season on Nov. 28, a 68-67 defeat versus Texas A&M Commerce. Their 88-81 PacWest victory over Dixie State on Friday saw five different players score in double figures. Tuesday's game in San Francisco will be CBU's first time this season playing away from Van Dyne Gym in Riverside.
 
Ryan Berg leads CBU in scoring at 15.3 points per game. Gelaun Wheelwright is the Lancers' other regular double-digit scorer, averaging 13.6 ppg. Four players average at least 8.8 ppg and 3.5 rebounds per game, giving CBU many versatile weapons. CBU has shot 46.4 percent as a team this season, outdistancing its opponents by nearly 10 percent (38.9).
 
All-time Series: California Baptist leads 5-0
Last Meeting: Dec. 21, 2013, California Baptist won 88-62 in Riverside.
 
ABOUT AZUSA PACIFIC
The Cougars' (9-1, 2-0 PacWest) only loss this season was in overtime on the road at then No. 19-ranked Cal Poly Pomona. Since then they have won eight straight, including six consecutive victories by nine or more points. The Cougars have only played two home games this season and are in the midst of a 10-game stretch with nine games away from home.
 
Troy Leaf is the PacWest's second-leading scorer averaging 22.7 points per game. He's the only APU player averaging double digits. He's also second on the team in steals and assists and third in rebounds (3.6 rpg). APU's 85.5 ppg as a team is second in the conference, and its 52.6 percent team field goal percentage is tops in the PacWest. The Cougars also have top-three marks in free-throw shooting (2nd, 77.0 percent) and 3-point shooting (3rd, 41.0 percent).
 
All-time Series: Series is tied 1-1
Last Meeting: Feb. 27, 2014, Azusa Pacific won 80-64 in San Francisco.
 
MORE ROOKIE RECOGNITION
Freshman guard Uchenna Okeneme was named Pacific West Conference Freshman of the Week Monday for the week of Dec. 1-7 after coming up big off the bench at Notre Dame de Namur.
 
The rookie scored 21 points in 24 minutes played off the bench and went a perfect 7-for-7 from the field, including 2-for-2 from beyond the 3-point arc. He was also 5-for-6 from the free-throw line and added four assists, two steals and two rebounds to his season-best performance. Okeneme came through in the clutch with four free throws in the final 13 seconds to hold off a late charge by NDNU.
 
The honor was ART U's second straight PacWest Freshman of the Week award after freshman guard Jase Harrison earned it last week. It is the third overall weekly award for the Urban Knights in four weeks this season, joining senior guard Alexis Moore's Co-Player of the Week nod from week one.