Game #5
ART U Urban Knights (2-2) vs. San Jose State Spartans (2-3)
Wednesday, November 24, 2021 at 6 p.m.
San Jose, Calif. – Provident Credit Union Event Center
Live Stats | Live Video
 
Game #6
ART U Urban Knights (2-2) vs. Sonoma State Seawolves (0-4)
Saturday, November 27, 2021 at 2 p.m.
Rohnert Park, Calif. – The Wolves' Den
Live Stats | Live Video

URBAN KNIGHTS FINISH NOVEMBER AT SAN JOSE STATE AND SONOMA STATE
Academy of Art women's basketball will test its mettle this week in an early showdown with NCAA Division I San Jose State and a weekend matchup with its fourth California Collegiate Athletics Association opponent in Sonoma State.

TIP-OFF
Academy of Art gets started with a mid-week contest at San Jose State this Wednesday, Nov. 24 inside the Spartans' Provident Credit Union Event Center at 6 p.m. In its final non-conference matchup of the month, the Knights then meet Sonoma State inside The Wolves' Den this Saturday, Nov. 27 for a 2 p.m. tip. Remember to follow @ARTU_Knights via the athletics app (Apple App Store, Google Play Store) and on Twitter & Instagram, as well as "Like" the Urban Knights on Facebook for score updates, videos, and recaps.

KNIGHT WATCH
Still the Pacific West Conference leaders in both offensive rebounds (20.5), blocks (6.2), and steals per game (13.2), Academy of Art ranks fourth, ninth, and 17th respectively in those categories when compared to all NCAA Division II programs. Additionally, the Urban Knights have kept their opponents to the conference's second-lowest points per game (58.8) through four games.

Named PacWest Defender of the Week for her impressive work in ART U's three-game week, graduate student guard Joy Krupa enters this week as the PacWest leader, putting up 2.8 blocks per game (11th in NCAA DII). She adds 14.0 points (12th in PacWest), 9.5 rebounds (sixth in PacWest), 3.0 steals (tied for second in PacWest), and 2.5 assists per contest while shooting 50.9 percent from the field (ninth in PacWest).

A big reason why Academy of Art is ranked so highly in the rebounding category is freshman forward/center Alisha Wilson's 11.8 rebounds per game (second in PacWest, 23rd in NCAA DII) with 6.5 of those coming on the offensive end (sixth in NCAA DII) which is more than 2.0 rebounds more than the next closest in the PacWest. The team's second-leading scorer is junior guard Lauryn Manns who comes in averaging 9.0 points in addition to 2.5 steals per game (fourth in PacWest). Joining Krupa among the conference's top five in blocks per game is freshman forward/center Christy Ojide with her 1.3 rejections per contest thus far.

THESE ARE THE SPARTANS
San Jose State has had an up and down season thus far, falling to Washington State, defeating Eastern Washington, dropping a matchup with Sacramento State, then splitting its first two home games against Santa Clara and Pacific. Four Spartans have double-digit scoring averages led by Cyndi Lewis' 12.6 points per game (to go with a team-high 9.4 rebounds per game) which is followed closely by Ella Ogier's 12.2 points per contest. Wednesday will be the first meeting to date between ART U and SJSU.

KNOWING NOMA
Sonoma State remains in search of its first win this season after dropping games to Dominican and Fresno Pacific in the CCAA/PacWest Challenge then being bested by Saint Martin's and Western Oregon thereafter. SSU hosts Holy Names on Nov. 24 prior to facing Academy of Art this weekend. The Seawolves' top two scoring threats thus far have been Zane Sheckherd and Amanda Luckett who both are averaging 8.5 points per game. Luckett has added 6.3 rebounds, 1.8 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game all in just an average of 18.5 minutes off the bench. Meeting sparingly over the years with their last matchup coming in 2017, Sonoma State holds a slight 2-1 edge historically against the Knights.

WARRIOR CLASSIC ENDS WITH STANISLAUS STATE OVER ART U
Going up against Warrior Classic host Stanislaus State on Nov. 20, Academy of Art women's basketball had nine of its 10 players score, but the Warriors rode a halftime advantage  to a 74-57 victory inside Ed & Bertha Fitzpatrick Arena.

LOOKING AHEAD
The month of December brings the start of PacWest play as ART U hosts Dominican on Saturday, Dec. 4.