Game #7
ART U Urban Knights (3-3, 0-0 PacWest) vs. Azusa Pacific Cougars (1-6, 0-0 PacWest)
Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023 at 8 p.m.
Atherton, Calif. – Haynes-Prim Pavilion
Live Stats | Live Video

Game #8
ART U Urban Knights (3-3, 0-0 PacWest) vs. Chaminade Silverswords (3-6 overall, 1-2 PacWest)
Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023 at 3:30 p.m.
San Francisco – Kezar Pavilion
Live Stats | Live Video

Game #9
ART U Urban Knights (3-3) vs. Western Oregon Wolves (3-5)
Sunday, Dec. 13, 2023 at 7 p.m.
Oakland, Calif. – Laney College Gym
Live Stats | Live Video

TURNING POINT
Academy of Art men's basketball has hit a crucial part of the season, the beginning of Pacific West Conference play. While looking to start off hot, ART U is set to face a duo of PacWest foes at home against Azusa Pacific and Chaminade before hosting a non-conference matchup against Western Oregon.

TIP-OFF
Thursday's tip time with the Cougars is set for 8 p.m. on Dec. 7, while Sunday's showdown with the Silverswords gets underway beginning at 3:30 p.m on Dec. 10. Meanwhile, next Wednesday's battle against the Wolves will commence at 7 p.m on Dec. 13. 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
Having just one game last week, Academy of Art men's basketball handled Jessup on Dec. 1 at home with a final score of 95-76 to improve to 3-3 on the year as they head into conference play. ART U took off early, where they gained a 20-5 lead to start the game, and maintained that throughout the contest, never allowing the Warriors to make a comeback.

Junior guard Treylon Payne locked up Jessup as he recorded five steals in the first half alone, which ultimately earned him PacWest Defender of the Week honors. With 16 steals as a team total in the game against the Warriors, the Knights dominated defensively and looked to the starting five to get points on the board. The entire starting cast put up double-digit points for the team, as junior forward Isaiah Williams led the way (25 points) as he also brought in eight rebounds. 

Junior guard Jamal Fuller contributed the second-most points on the squad in the game (16), which brought his season average to 21.3 per game, good enough for the PacWest Conference lead as it's also ranked near the top of the NCAA Division II pool (25th place). While Fuller leads the conference in points, he is also ranked among leaders in field goal percentage (fourth at .538) and free throw percentage (fourth at .867). Senior forward Latrell Williams added on points of his own (15), as he collected 12 rebounds, and recorded his first double-double of the season, bringing his career-total at ART U to 17 (second all-time). Latrell Williams is ranked near the lead in rebounds per game in the conference (second place) and he has brought in an average of 8.0 per game.

Latrell Williams, Isaiah Williams, Payne, and junior guard Rodney Munson are all ranked within the top seven in the PacWest in steals per game, as Munson leads the group (second place), totaling 2.3 a game. Redshirt sophomore guard Eli Taylor has been the best member of the Knights to dish the ball off for an assist, as he currently holds 3.8 per game (fourth in PacWest) while maintaining the best assist to turnover ratio in the conference (2.5).

LOOKING AT THE ZU
Also yet to play a PacWest game thus far, the Cougars come into the contest against the Knights after having a slow start to the season with a 1-6 overall record. Most recently, the Cougars took a loss against Central Washington with an 81-47 final after also dropping their matchup to Northwest Nazarene 67-60 at the NNU Thanksgiving Classic. Before the losses, the Cougars were also entered into the PacWest/GNAC Challenge, where they lost all three of their contests to Cal State LA, Western Washington, and Seattle Pacific, making it five-straight defeats for APU as they come into the contest against the Knights. While the Cougars are ranked seventh in points per game in the conference (69.1) opposed to the Knights being in third (78.8), the two teams are similar in defense, with APU giving up 76.9 points per game compared to ART U's 76.0. Three members of the Cougars average double-digit points with Ken West leading the way with 14.7 points per game as Bryce Sloan (13.4) and Ethan Speaker (10.3) follow right behind. Azusa Pacific leads the all-time meetings between the two teams 17-2.

THE CHAMINADE CHALLENGE
With already three PacWest conference games under their belt in the 2023-24 season, Chaminade currently stands 1-2 in those contests, while they are 3-6 overall. The last three matchups for the Silverswords have been against Division I programs, which include Syracuse, #24 UCLA, and #1 Kansas, all at the Allstate Maui Invitational. When battling with other Division II schools, Chaminade has gone 1-2, including one overtime loss against conference-rival UH Hilo. As a team, the Silverswords rank themselves in the PacWest at eighth in offense, 10th in defense, and last in total margin between the two, all while shooting just 39.1 percent from the field through nine games. With a challenging start to the season, the 'Swords will look towards Isaac Amaral-Artharee to turn it around, as he leads the team in points per game (15.2), while Scott Ator leads in rebounds per game and total blocks. Although Chaminade leads the all-time series 21-6 between the two PacWest schools, ART U has been victorious most recently, as they beat the 'Swords last season on Mar. 2, 2023 with a 93-69 final score in the first round of the PacWest Conference Championship Tournament.

WATCHING THE WOLVES
In the last non-conference matchup of the calendar year for ART U men's basketball, the Knights will take on the Wolves of Western Oregon, who have started off the season with a 3-5 record. WOU is coming off two straight home losses, as they dropped their games against Northwest Nazarene and Central Washington last week. With four players on the squad averaging double-digit points, Qiant Myers leads the way (17.1 per game), as Jason Gallant (12.9), Cameron Benzel (11.6), and Kris Cook (11.0) follow. Not only does Myers lead the team in points, he also ranks third among members of the GNAC in points per game, while Gallant also ranks 11th in the conference, and Benzel ranks sixth in rebounding (6.8 per game). This will be the second all-time meeting between WOU and ART U, with the last one dating back to Nov. 29, 2014 where the Wolves took the game, and lead the series 1-0.

STARTERS THRIVE IN 95-76 ART U VICTORY OVER JESSUP
Academy of Art men's basketball exploded offensively on Friday night against Jessup, snatching a new season high in points while all five starters scored in the double digits to secure the 95-76 victory in the last game before Pacific West Conference play begins.

LOOKING AHEAD
The last games of 2023 for ART U men's basketball will commence in Southern California, where the Urban Knights will travel to battle Biola at Chase Gymnasium on Dec. 16 at 7:30 p.m. before taking on Concordia on Dec. 18, tipping off at 3:30 p.m. at CU Arena.