Game #24
ART U Urban Knights (7-16, 7-11 PacWest) vs. Fresno Pacific Sunbirds (12-13, 7-11 PacWest)
Thursday, February 23, 2023 at 5 p.m.
Belmont, Calif. – Walter Gleason Gym
Live Stats & Live Video

Game #25
ART U Urban Knights (7-16, 7-11 PacWest) vs. Dominican Penguins (17-10, 14-5 PacWest)
Saturday, February 25, 2023 at 1 p.m.
San Rafael, Calif. – Conlan Center
Live Stats | Live Video

FINAL WEEK OF 2022-23 CAMPAIGN FEATURES MATCHUPS WITH SUNBIRDS, PENGUINS
Academy of Art women's basketball concludes its year this week first with a Senior Night matchup hosting Fresno Pacific that will highlight senior guard Lauryn Manns and Joy Krupa before another Pacific West Conference rematch on the road at Dominican.

TIP-OFF
Inside Walter Gleason Gym for the final time this Thursday, Feb. 23, ART U will hold its Senior Night ceremony prior to a 5 p.m. start time with the Sunbirds. Then, on Saturday, Feb. 25, the Knights' season finale tips off against the Penguins at 1 p.m. inside Conlan Center in San Rafael. 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
After holding Holy Names to the second-fewest points by an opponent this year, Academy of Art has moved up to fourth in the PacWest in points allowed per contest (60.8) and remains fourth in steals per game at 8.5, coming off 12 in that Feb. 19 win over the Hawks.

Powered by the highest offensive rebounding average in NCAA Division II (5.9), newly-minted five-time PacWest Defender of the Week sophomore forward/center Alisha Wilson holds the country's highest rebounds per game mark overall at 14.9 (first in ART U single-season history). The Communications & Media Technologies major adds 15.6 points per game (fourth in PacWest, seventh in ART U single-season history) which has led her to 16 double-doubles (eighth in NCAA DII). Already Academy of Art's career leader, double-doubles in each of Wilson's final two games this season would push her past the program's single-season record of 17 set by Krystal Forthan in 2013-14. Wilson also leads the PacWest in field goal percentage (.530) and ranks second in steals (2.7) and sixth in blocks (1.0) per game.

Sophomore guard Jadence Clifton's 11.8 points per game scoring average is 13th in the conference while her 5.3 rebounds are 21st in the PacWest. She is top 10 in both steals (2.0) and assists (3.0) per game. Senior guard Lauryn Manns is third on the team at 8.6 points per game while junior guard Ashana Hinds comes off her best scoring performance of the season as she went for 23 points including four 3-pointers versus HNU. Sophomore forward/center Christy Ojide stuffed the stat sheet versus the Hawks with 10 points, eight rebounds, and four blocks, elevating her to fourth in the PacWest in blocks per game (1.1) as well as 17th with 5.8 rebounds per contest.

HERE COMES THE SUN(BIRDS)
Since falling to ART U 66-53 on Jan. 2, Fresno Pacific has had its ups and downs, but comes into this week having won five of its last six including its previous two to close out the Sunbirds' Hawaii roadtrip. FPU currently leads the conference in points allowed (58.8) while holding opponents to a .364 field goal percentage (first in PacWest). No Sunbird can be found in the conference's top 25 scorers, but Maesyn Rix checks in at fifth with a 7.7 rebounds per game average while the team is led by Felicia Dourva's 8.5 points per contest. Relatively even across 20 previous meetings, the all-time series favors Academy of Art 11-9 following three consecutive wins by the Urban Knights.

DU PART DEUX
It will have been just two weeks since Dominican and Academy of Art met for the first time this season, a Feb. 11 pairing that saw the Penguins prevail 68-59. DU turned that victory into a three-game win streak which included triumphs over Holy Names and UC Santa Cruz. Dominican remains the conference leader in both turnover margin (6.2) and steals per game (11.8) as Brittney Cedeno paces the Penguins, averaging 14.0 points (seventh in PacWest) and 8.3 rebounds (third in PacWest) per contest in addition to holding a commanding lead on the top steals per game average in NCAA DII at  4.1 thefts per contest. Though DU has won the last three meetings, the Urban Knights remain on top 19-10 in the historical matchup.

ART U NEVER TRAILS EN ROUTE TO 65-40 VICTORY OVER HOLY NAMES
After starting the game with a 14-4 run, Academy of Art women's basketball proceeded to hold Holy Names to single digits offensively in multiple quarters before triumphing 65-40 in the Pacific West Conference rematch on Feb. 19 inside Walter Gleason Gym. Junior guard Ashana Hinds knocked down four 3-pointers as part of her season-high 23 points while sophomore forward/center Alisha Wilson tied the program record with a career-best 23 rebounds as part of her 16th double-double of the season.