KNIGHT WATCHAs a team, Academy of Art is averaging 22.3 points off turnovers thanks in large part to the fifth-highest turnover margin in all of NCAA Division II in turnover margin (8.3). ART U has worked hard to maintain its up-tempo style that has them ranked ninth in the country in offensive rebounds per game (17.1), 11th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.27), 11th in scoring offense (80.6 points per game), and 17th in steals per game (11.3).
Completing the regular season ranked fourth in the country in steals per game (3.7), senior guard
Jasmin Guinn comes off a Feb. 27 matchup in which she tied the program record with eight thefts. She now needs only 11 more to reach 300 for her career. A 22-point, 12-rebound Senior Day performance served as her 13th double-double (21st in NCAA DII) and upped her to third in the PacWest in scoring at 19.5 points per game (23rd in DII). She remains fourth in the conference in offensive rebounding (3.2 rpg) and ninth in field goal percentage (.442).
Separated by just a fraction of a point per game as the ninth and 10th top scorers in the PacWest, senior guards
Regina Camera and
Zoie Sheng. Camera's 14.9 points per game come with 5.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 2.2 steals (fifth in PacWest) per game while Sheng's 14.8 points per game are complemented by ranking second in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.3), fourth in assists per game (4.9), and adds 4.3 rebounds as well as 1.6 steals per game. Sheng needs just one steal more to reach 200 for her career.
Senior guard
Sha'Nice Storey remains among the conference's top 25 scorers at 11.9 points per game and needs just seven more 3-pointers to set a new single-season school record. At 2.3 triples made per game, she ranks fifth in the PacWest while sitting at eighth in three-point percentage (.337). Also a threat from long range, senior guard
Vianai Austin comes off a season-high 15 points scored with five 3-pointers made against NDNU.
SEA LIONS SEEING #6 SEED After falling to Academy of Art in overtime on
Feb. 15, Point Loma dropped an 18-point loss to California Baptist then sustained a 54-51 loss to UH Hilo to start a 2-1 Hawaii roadtrip. The Sea Lions, 12-8 in PacWest play, enter the tournament with the sixth seed attached to their name. Ranked seventh in the conference in scoring, Madison West averages 16.2 points per game as well as the second-highest three-point field goals made per contest (2.9). The two wins over PLNU earlier this year (
Jan. 7,
Feb. 15) gave ART U a 5-2 advantage all-time.
A LOOK AT THE #2 SEED LANCERSWith only one loss in conference play (19-1), California Baptist earned a share of the PacWest regular season title with No. 18 Azusa Pacific. The Lancers have won 20 consecutive games heading into the tournament and carry a No. 3 national ranking currently. For a CBU team that leads the PacWest in a host of categories including scoring offense (84.6 ppg), rebounding margin (+10.5 rpg), assists (18.9 apg), Cassidy Mihalko shares the title of the conference's leading scorer (20.1 ppg). The Lancers' victory on
Feb. 23 evened the all-time series with ART U 4-4.
APPROACHING #1 SEED AZUSANo. 18 Azusa Pacific rides a 13-game winning streak into the PacWest Tournament with only one loss in 20 conference games and a share of the PacWest regular season title as mentioned above. The Cougars last loss was to California Baptist was on Jan. 16 and APU finished the season as the conference's top defensive team, allowing opponents to score 60.0 points per game. Kelly Hardeman ranks sixth in the PacWest in scoring (17.6 ppg) and third in rebounding (9.3 rpg). The
Cougars' win over Academy of Art earlier this year made them 4-3 in seven historical matchups.
SHARKS CIRCLE AS #4 SEEDWinners of five of its last seven games, Hawaii Pacific took a pair of losses to Point Loma in that span, but ended the regular season with a 39-point win over BYU-Hawaii. The Sharks are seeded fourth in the PacWest Tournament and sport one of the conference's top scorers in Breanna Mackenzie (5th -18.3 ppg) and top rebounders in Aminata Cole (4th – 9.2 rpg). The Knights defeated HPU twice this season (
Jan. 9,
Jan. 16) to become 8-6 against the Sharks all-time.
PENGUINS PICK UP #5 SEEDDominican had been one of the hottest teams in the PacWest through the early part of February after winning 10 of 12, but a four-game losing streak was capped by the
Urban Knights' 94-91 victory on Feb. 20. The Penguins topped Dixie State and Fresno Pacific to finish 13-7 in conference and have been seeded fifth. Allyssa Weatherd, who went for a career-high 36 points against ART U, ranks fourth in the PacWest in scoring (19.1 ppg) and is first in field goal percentage (.591). Academy of Art is 14-1 all-time against Dominican.
SENIORS STAND PROUD IN KNIGHTS' WIN With family and friends from across the country gathering together to celebrate seven ART U women's basketball seniors on
Feb. 27, the end result was a convincing 83-50 win over Notre Dame de Namur to close out the 2015-16 regular season.
Vianai Austin,
Regina Camera,
Sha'Nice Storey,
Caron Brown,
Alex Washington,
Zoie Sheng, and
Jasmin Guinn were honored with a special pre-game ceremony before the Urban Knights gained a 22-point lead in the first quarter and never looked back en route to an 83-50 victory to tie the program's single-season wins record.
LOOKING AHEADThe NCAA Division II Championship Tournament will begin with West Regional play on Mar. 11-14. Sites and times are still to be determined.
