Game #19
ART U Urban Knights (13-5, 9-2 PacWest) at APU Cougars (7-12, 6-6 PacWest)
Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.
Azusa, Calif. – Felix Event Center
Live Stats | Live Video

Game #20
ART U Urban Knights (13-5, 9-2 PacWest) at PLNU Sea Lions (14-6, 9-3 PacWest)
Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024 at 5 p.m.
San Diego – Golden Gymnasium
Live Stats | Live Video

KEEP 'EM COMING
Academy of Art men's basketball looks to continue their hottest winning streak in program history of seven straight victories as the squad sets eyes on more Pacific West Conference matchups. ART U will travel down to Southern California once again to square up against Azusa Pacific on Feb. 1 while they'll catch a glimpse of Point Loma for the first time in the campaign on Feb. 3.

TIP-OFF
Thursday's contest with the Cougars is set for a 7:30 p.m. tip time from the Felix Event Center on the campus of APU while Saturday's game will begin at 5 p.m. inside Golden Gymnasium at PLNU. 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
Academy of Art has made it seven consecutive games with seeing victory for the first time in program history and they now look to make that run even bigger with the squad's upcoming games against APU and PLNU. ART U came out of their Hawaii trip undefeated and continued to show strong efforts against Dominican and Concordia most recently. Over at the Penguins' campus on Jan. 20, the Knights took the win after two sets of overtime, with the first extra period seeing little offense from both sides as just six points apiece came from the Knights and Penguins after a five-minute defensive battle. In double overtime, however, ART U outscored DUC by five with all 16 points coming from junior forward Jamal Fuller and junior forward Isaiah Williams to steal the win 87-82 all after an early first-half deficit. ART U then proceeded to host Concordia where they controlled the contest down the stretch and sailed to a 75-54 victory on Jan. 25.

On the year, four members of ART U are averaging double-digit points for the team, with Fuller (19.1 ppg) leading the way and ranking first in the conference. Senior forward Latrell Williams (13.6 ppg) follows Fuller on the team while he also maintains the highest rebounds average on the squad (8.7 rpg), which is good for a near-top spot in the conference as well (second). While Latrell Williams recently broke the all-time rebounds record for ART U, he is eyeing the sole double-double record as well as he sits with 21 (tied-first). Isaiah Williams (13.2 ppg) and junior guard Rodney Munson (10.4 ppg) both follow closely behind in scoring average. 

Four top 10 spots in the conference in steals are held by a Knight, with Latrell Williams (2.2), Isaiah Williams (1.8), junior guard Treylon Payne (1.7), and Munson (1.7) leading ART U while the team ranks at the top spot in the PacWest (10.94 per game) and seventh in the NCAA Division II pool. While having a strong defense, the team also currently holds a ninth place national ranking in turnover margin (+6.3).

COUGARS WITH CLAWS
As ART U will square up with Azusa Pacific for the second time this season, the Cougars have gone 6-5 since their last outing against the Knights on Dec. 7, a contest in which ART U forced 32 turnovers and broke the program record in steals in a game (23). APU now comes off a 2-1 Hawaii trip after losing back-to-back games against Biola and Fresno Pacific. The Cougars' offense is led by the trio of Ken West (15.4 ppg, sixth in PacWest), Bryce Sloan (13.6 ppg), and George Reidy (11.4 ppg) while Ethan Speaker follows right behind and is the leading rebounder on the squad (6.5). As a team, Azusa Pacific sits in seventh place within the PacWest with their 6-6 conference record while being 7-12 overall. With the Knights as the most recent victors when paired against each other, APU leads the all-time series 17-3.

SILENCING THE SEA LIONS
Meeting up for the first time in the 2024 campaign, the Knights will visit Point Loma with a 14-6 overall record while being 9-3 in conference. Being the top two teams in the PacWest, the Knights currently hold a narrow lead in the standings by just half a game with PLNU having the most overall wins in the conference, while ART U has the least losses. The Sea Lions are coming off three straight games in Hawaii that all saw overtime while they took two wins from those against Chaminade and Hawaii Pacific. Jake Lifgren leads the squad in points per game (18.1, fourth in PacWest) while Zack Paulsen (15.1 ppg) also ranks among the conference leaders (ninth place). Collecting rebounds is a team-effort for Point Loma, as the starting five all average between 4.1 and 5.8 a contest with Wynton Brown leading the way. This upcoming game will be the first time the teams meet since the playoffs last season on Mar. 11. PLNU has the edge all-time in head-to-head matchups with a 17-4 record.

KNIGHTS WIN AGAIN, CONQUER CUI FOR SEVEN IN A ROW
Last Thursday's Pacific West Conference showdown with Concordia saw an impressive performance by Academy of Art men's basketball on Jan. 25, as ART U managed to pull away early in the second half while the squad shut down CUI's shooting to start the frame as the Golden Eagles began 0-for-13 in their 75-54 loss to the Urban Knights.

LOOKING AHEAD
After the road trip, ART U will return home to battle against Westmont on Feb. 8 for the team's Black History Month Game and they'll take on Fresno Pacific on Feb. 10 for ALS Awareness Day, both happening at Laney College Gym in Oakland, Calif.