Game #7
ART U Urban Knights (5-1, 0-0 PacWest) at PLNU Sea Lions (4-3, 0-0 PacWest)
Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.
San Diego – Golden Gymnasium
Live Stats | Live Video
ART U Game Notes 12-1-22

Game #8
ART U Urban Knights (5-1, 0-0 PacWest) at CUI Eagles (1-4, 0-0 PacWest)
Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022 at 4:30 p.m.
Irvine, Calif. – CU Arena
Live Stats and Video
ART U Game Notes 12-3-22

IRON SHARPENS IRON
With the best program record through its first six games, Academy of Art has received votes in the NCAA Division II National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) National Top 25 Poll, another first in ART U history. Now, the Urban Knights look to keep up the momentum as they start Pacific West Conference action against two of the top scorers in the conference, beginning first at preseason favorite Point Loma and PacWest Preseason Player of the Year Kaden Anderson before heading north to take on Concordia. 

TIP-OFF
Thursday's tip off against the Sea Lions takes place at 7:30 p.m., while Saturday's showdown with the Eagles commences at 4:30 p.m. 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
The No. 2 team in the West Region Academy of Art got back into the win column against formerly No. 19 Saint Martin's after their program-record four-game winning streak to start the season was snapped by Stanislaus State, as the Knights used two separate 14-0 runs to overcome a double-digit blown lead in the first half and claim a 78-73 victory. The Saints were able to match a first-half 14-0 ART U stretch with a 12-1 span of their own midway through the second period, but the Knights responded with their second dominant stretch before icing the game from the line. The victory marked the second consecutive win over Saint Martin's, drawing the all-time series level at 2-2 after the Knights also topped the Saints almost exactly one year ago by a 90-78 final on Nov. 26, 2021.
 
ART U storms into Pacific West Conference play at 5-1, their best record entering conference action in program history. After going 4-1 against CCAA opponents, which included a four-game unbeaten streak to start the year for the first time in program history, the Knights picked up their first victory over a ranked opponent this year when they took down GNAC foe Saint Martin's. Of the first eight games in the 2022-23 campaign, ART U has played only one from friendly confines (Chico State). Four of the five wins have come away from home (2-0 on neutral site), three have been by double-digits (SF State, CSUEB, Chico State), three have been second-half comeback efforts (SFSU, CSUEB, SMU), and one has been a double-digit comeback (SFSU). In only one game each have the Knights never trailed (Chico State) or never led (STAN).

ART U has scored 75 or more points in five of their six contests this year (80.4 ppg in those games), twice topping 80 points in consecutive games with a high of 85 against CSUEB, leading to a season average of 78.5 ppg. In four of six games ART U has shot above 40.0 percent from the field, three of those coming consecutively with a high of 55.0 percent (33-for-60) against Chico State. Shooting from downtown has been crucial, making an average of 9.3 threes per game with an overall three-point percentage of 41.2 percent (56-for-136). Ball movement has also been key, recording double-digit assists in all six games for an average of 14.7 apg, setting their season best of 19 against the Wildcats. With a total of 88 assists, ART U has assisted on 38.9 percent (88-for-226) of their total baskets this year.

Not only does senior guard Klay Brown's 15.2 ppg lead the Knights in scoring (double-figures in four of six games), he also leads ART U in assists (3.8 per game, fifth in PacWest) and rebounds (7.3 per game, eighth in PacWest), and tallied a double-double against Stanislaus (14 points, 10 rebounds). His ball movement has been supreme, recording four or more assists in four of six games. Meanwhile, graduate student guard Will Balata also reaches double-digit scoring with 11.7 ppg, while the trio of junior forward Latrell Williams (9.7 ppg), senior forward Mike Asante (9.6 ppg), and sophomore forward Jamal Fuller (9.2 ppg) all fall just shy. Fuller's damage has come largely off the bench, shooting a team-best 69.0 percent (20-for-29) shooting from the floor. Defensively, Brown has notched at least two steals in all but one game (high of four vs. STAN) for a team-best average of 2.3 (14 total), while sophomore guard Rodney Munson trails shortly behind with 2.0 per game (12 total).

WHAT'S THE POINT (LOMA)?
Despite winning each of their first three contests, two of which came by double-digits, Point Loma has lost three of its past four times on the floor with a pair of losses coming in overtime. The first came to start the stretch against No. 8 Minnesota Duluth 89-85, while the other was their most recent contest in which they fell by just two points to Western Washington, 91-89. Thus far the Sea Lions have fallen in the middle of the PacWest table statistically, averaging the sixth-most points in the conference at 74.1 per game, though one area where PLNU struggles is their shooting from three-point range (last; 29.7 percent). Plan A for the Sea Lions is Kaden Anderson, recently named the PacWest Player of the Week on Monday, as he leads all of the PacWest in scoring with 25.4 ppg to go with 7.6 rpg (sixth in PacWest) and an average of 1.4 steals. Meanwhile, Luke Haupt has been the primary ball mover, posting an average of 4.3 helpers per game which is third in the conference. The trilogy between PLNU and ART U last season was electric, with two of three games needing extra basketball for a winner to be decided. The Knights walked away victorious in the first meeting on Dec. 11, 2021 by a 76-74 margin, but PLNU enacted revenge to give the Knights their first PacWest loss in a double overtime battle 92-85 on Jan. 6. Ultimately, Academy of Art took the season battle when they won the final matchup in the PacWest Tournament Semifinal in overtime, 78-75. However, PLNU holds the all-time advantage in the series 13-4. 

COOKING CONCORDIA
Since starting the year with a 73-63 victory in the season opener against Cal State Los Angeles, Concordia has lost each of its past five games including both contests of the GNAC/PacWest Challenge and most recently a pair to Bethesda (90-86) and Dominican in their PacWest opener (71-62). Currently the Eagles have the second-worst scoring margin in the conference (-5.5; second only to HNU), which comes despite CUI averaging the fifth-most points in the conference per game (73.5) and slotting third in thee-point percentage (36.3 percent). Pacing Concordia in scoring is Lance Coleman II, as his 22.2 ppg are second in the conference only to Kaden Anderson of PLNU, while the 14.8 ppg from Bryce Fitzgerald ranks ninth in the PacWest. Fitzgerald also holds the top team average in rebounds with 7.3 per game (seventh in the PacWest), while Kobe Sanders dishes the ball to the tune of 4.7 assists per game (second in the PacWest). Academy of Art has won each of the past three meetings against the Eagles, starting with a 70-68 victory back on Feb. 22, 2020 before most recently pulling off a season sweep last year on Dec. 9, 2021 and Jan. 8, 2022. However, Concordia still holds the slight edge in the all-time series, 6-4.

ART U REBOUNDS WITH ROLLERCOASTER WIN OVER NO. 19 SMU
It took just one game for Academy of Art men's basketball to get back into the win column after their undefeated start to the 2022-23 campaign was snapped, showing their character as ART U overcame losing a double-digit first-half lead against nationally ranked No. 19 Saint Martin's, in turn handing SMU its first loss of the season with a 78-73 clash on Friday. 

LOOKING AHEAD
For just the second time this season Academy of Art will play at home, as the Knights return to San Francisco to host Hawaiian foe Chaminade in the only game of the week on Dec. 10.