ART U Urban Knights (21-6, 18-1 PWC) vs. Azusa Pacific Cougars (16-8, 14-4 PWC)
Thursday, February 27, 2014 at 7:30 PM
San Francisco, CA – Kezar Pavilion
Live Stats | Live Video | Live Audio

ACADEMY OF ART TO CELEBRATE SENIORS, PACWEST TITLE THURSDAY
It will be an exciting culmination to the regular season for ART U Women's Basketball this Thursday as the Urban Knights play host to Azusa Pacific on an evening that will feature "Senior Knight," "Dunk Cancer," and a special post-game ceremony commemorating the 2013-14 Pacific West Conference Regular Season Champion Academy of Art University.

OPENING TIP
"Senior Knight," this Thursday, Feb. 27, against Azusa Pacific will feature a pre-game celebration of ART U's two seniors, Amanda Encelan and Alisa Griggs, prior to the scheduled 7:30 PM tipoff inside Kezar Pavilion. Live coverage will be available via the links above. Remember to follow @ARTU_Knights on Twitter & Instagram and "Like" the Urban Knights on Facebook for score updates, videos, and recaps.

Note: As part of the "Dunk Cancer" event, fans will be able to purchase t-shirts for $10 and have a chance to participate in a raffle for two pairs of MONSTER DNA Headphones with all proceeds supporting Make-A-Wish. Additionally, the first 200 Academy of Art University students will receive an exclusive PacWest Conference Regular Season Champion t-shirt!

ART U CONTINUES TO COLLECT VOTES ON NATIONAL COACHES' POLL
Looking to move up from their #10 NCAA West Regional ranking after four wins in the last week, the Urban Knights received 13 votes on the USA TODAY Sports Division II Top 25 Coaches' Poll for Week 13. The votes would essentially put Academy of Art 35th in the country overall.

KNIGHT WATCH
Statistically one of the top teams in all of NCAA Division II, Academy of Art ranks seventh in the country in turnover margin (+6.27), 14th in scoring offense (80.3 points per game), 23rd in steals per game (11.0), 26th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.10), 28th in scoring margin (+10.5) and 35th in assists per game (16.0). Krystal Forthan earned PacWest Defensive Player of the Week this past Monday after a statsheet-stuffing game against Dixie State that featured a program-record seven blocks. She has moved up Top 20 in the country in total double-doubles (13) despite playing nearly half the number of games as virtually every name around hers on the list. She had a game for the ages last Saturday, putting up 22 points, 17 rebounds, seven blocks, and six assists. She is currently averaging 18.8 points (would be 3rd in PacWest if met game minimums), 11.9 rebounds (would be 1st in PacWest), 2.4 blocks (would be second in PacWest), 1.9 steals (would be 10th in PacWest), and 2.1 assists per game.

At 11.4 points per game, Regina Camera is the team's second-leading scorer and adds 4.6 rebounds as well as 2.6 assists per game. She had her second-highest point total of the year versus Dixie State (20 points) for her third 20+ point game of the year. Zoie Sheng, owner of the 21st highest assist-to-turnover ratio in the country (2.02) as of Sunday, averages 10.5 points and 3.2 assists per game (7th in PacWest). Sha'Nice Storey recently became the program's all-time 3-pointers made leader (91) and has the most on the team this season (40). She is third on the team in scoring (10.8 ppg) and has 1.5 triples per game to her name.

Jasmin Guinn now ranks second in the PacWest in offensive rebounds (3.6 rpg) as well as fourth in steals per game (2.2 spg) with a 9.1 points per game average. Molly O'Brien is averaging 10.4 points in 24.2 minutes per game and continues to provide a spark off the bench, ranking fourth in the PacWest in field goal percentage (47.8). Senior Alisa Griggs paces the conference in shooting from the field, connecting 50.7 percent of the time. She comes into her "Senior Knight" with 959 career points and 561 career rebounds.

CAN THE COUGARS BE CONTROLLED?
Right there atop the PacWest standings all season long, Azusa Pacific carries a 14-4 conference record (16-8 overall) into Thursday's matchup. Despite an 84-75 overtime loss to Cal Poly Pomona to start the year back in November, APU went on to win five of its next seven games including a 76-61 triumph over Western Washington and 65-50 win against Cal State San Bernardino. The Cougars used that momentum from non-conference play and won their first seven PacWest contests, defeating Notre Dame de Namur and Dominican twice in that span. A Jan. 17 loss to Point Loma (69-61) did not slow Azusa as a five-game win streak ensued featuring a three-game sweep in Hawaii. More recently, however, APU has hit a rough patch as they've struggled to keep up with the Urban Knights who captured the PacWest regular season title after the Cougars' second loss to PLNU (82-61) this past Saturday. Conference losses to California Baptist (54-46) and UH Hilo (78-73) have come in the last three weeks, making Azusa Pacific just 2-3 in its last five games. The Cougars and Knights have historically met just once prior, last season in Azusa, when APU barely edged ART U 74-73 after a 3-pointer in the final seconds did not fall for Academy of Art. Although Hannah Kenny (responsible for 25 points in that game) has since graduated, the Cougars still boast Kelly Hardeman (23 points in the previous matchup) who is one of three Azusa players in the PacWest's top seven in scoring. The leader is Sendy Valles (16.0 ppg) who adds 7.7 rpg, followed by Hardeman at 14.5 ppg and 7.8 rpg, with Allison Greene just a shade behind at 14.4 ppg. APU is known for its aggressive defense which forces a conference-best 11.8 steals per game and has held opponents to a 63.0 ppg average to date. Although Academy of Art will not face Azusa Pacific in the conference tournament as the Cougars are not yet eligible for NCAA post-season play, Thursday will surely be a hard-fought battle between the PacWest's top two teams.

"I look for us to bounce back with more energy and discipline on Thursday," Coach Larson said. "We would love to finish out the regular season with a big win, but will have to bring our best game against a very tough APU team."

WOMEN'S HOOPS UPS WIN STREAK TO 11 AT DOMINICAN
Crashing the offensive glass hard, ART U Women's Basketball captured its 18th Pacific West Conference victory this past Monday night in a 69-59 win over Dominican. Academy of Art went on a 14-3 run, including seven unanswered, to close the first half and held the lead the rest of the way. Three Urban Knights grabbed four offensive rebounds apiece including Krystal Forthan who finished with her 12th consecutive double-double (17 points, 14 rebounds).

LOOKING AHEAD
The PacWest Conference Tournament on Mar. 6-8 in San Diego is the next stop for ART U Women's Basketball after Thursday. Hosted by Point Loma, the three-day event will determine the team that recieves an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Championship Tournament set to begin later in March. Fans can purchase PacWest Championship Tournament tickets two ways: Presale tickets are available for $10 general admission and $25 all-tournament pass by ordering through the link below. Tickets can also be purchased at the door on each day of the tournament. All-tournament passes are only available through presale. Check out the tournament homepage here!