Game #1
ART U Urban Knights (0-0) vs. Cal State Monterey Bay Otters (0-0)
Saturday, November 13, 2021 at 6:30 p.m.
Belmont, Calif. – Walter Gleason Gym
Live Stats & Video

Game #2
ART U Urban Knights (0-0) vs. Simon Fraser (1-2)
Saturday, November 15, 2021 at Noon
Belmont, Calif. – Walter Gleason Gym
Live Stats & Video

Emerging both united and experienced from a unique spring season, Academy of Art women's basketball now prepares for the full slate of games the 2021-22 will bring. An emphasis on gritty defense and fearlessness from Head Coach Krystle Evans and her coaching staff has the Urban Knights confidently stepping into their journey starting this weekend.

ART U's 2021-22 schedule officially begins at home with Cal State Monterey Bay (Nov. 13) and Simon Fraser (Nov. 15) coming to Walter Gleason Gym in Belmont. From there, non-conference play includes a trip to Turlock for matchups with Cal State East Bay (Nov. 19) and Stanislaus State (Nov. 20) in the Warrior Classic then road contests at NCAA Division I San Jose State (Nov. 24) and Sonoma State (Nov. 27). Pacific West Conference play begins back in Belmont on Dec. 4 with Dominican coming to town before the first of two Southern California roadtrips with Concordia (Dec. 9) and Point Loma (Dec. 11) the initial destinations. A Dec. 14 home date with Western Washington concludes the schedule's non-conference portion and ART U hosts Chaminade (Dec. 19) to close the calendar year.

SoCal visits Academy of Art to open January with Azusa Pacific (Jan. 3), PLNU (Jan. 6), and CUI (Jan. 8) on tap ahead of a three-part Hawaii roadtrip to face UH Hilo (Jan. 13), Hawaii Pacific (Jan. 15), and CUH (Jan. 17). The Knights' first meeting with Fresno Pacific comes at home on Jan. 22 then a second SoCal swing features Biola (Jan. 27) and APU (Jan. 29). Exclusively in Northern California for the duration of February, ART U hosts Holy Names (Feb. 1), travels to Dominican (Feb. 5) and HNU (Feb. 11), then welcomes UH Hilo (Feb. 13), HPU (Feb. 17), and BU (Feb. 24) to Walter Gleason Gym. One final matchup with FPU comes on Feb. 26 before the PacWest Championship Tournament tips off from Fresno on Mar. 3-5. To view the 2021-22 schedule, click here!

Veteran experience comes from the Urban Knights' collection of three juniors plus one senior and one graduate student. Senior forward Megan Jefferson returns for her fifth year with the program while grad student guard Joy Krupa joins Academy of Art following an impressive stint with NCAA DI Cal State Fullerton, ranking second in the Big West in rebounds per game in addition to being named 2020 Big West All-Tournament Team.

With that pair will be junior guards Chanel Stuart and Lauryn Manns plus junior guard/forward Ladun Akako. Stuart comes into the year among ART U's top 10 in career three-point percentage, rebounds per game, assists per contest, and blocks per game. Manns was a selection to the 2020-21 All-PacWest Northern California Team after leading the team in scoring (16.7 points per game), three-point shooting (.340 average with 50 attempts), and steals (1.8 per contest).

Making up a contingent of returning student-athletes with their first full season as Urban Knights on tap is redshirt sophomore guard Hailey McCoy, redshirt freshman guard Kaila Murrell, and freshman guards Brooke Rodgers and Alyssa Munn. Murrell, Munn, and Rodgers started all seven games Academy of Art played in the spring, posting three of the team's top four minutes averages. Rodgers, also 2020-21 All-PacWest Northern California Team, turned in a pair of double-doubles and led ART U in rebounds (7.6 per game) as well as assists (2.9 per game).

New to the program in 2021-22 are freshman forward/center Alisha Wilson (Bonita), Milan Tuttle (Heritage), and Christy Ojide (Delaware State). Wilson and Tuttle both bring high school postseason experience while Ojide was voted as one of the top centers in Spain for the 2020 recruiting class.

Looking to achieve postseason success like the program has previously enjoyed, Academy of Art tips off its 14th season this weekend with determination and excitement.