Game #4
ART U Urban Knights (2-1) vs. No. 16 Saint Martin's Saints (7-0)
Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024 at 7 p.m.
Lacey, Wash. – Marcus Pavilion
Live Stats | Live Video

Game #5
ART U Urban Knights (2-1) vs. Western Oregon Wolves (1-7)
Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024 at 2 p.m.
Monmouth, Ore. – New PE Building
Live Stats | Live Video

TURNING POINT
Passing the midway point of non-conference action is Academy of Art men's basketball as the Urban Knights are set to face a duo of Great Northeast Athletic Conference foes on the road in No. 16 Saint Martin's and Western Oregon.

TIP-OFF
Thursday's tip time with the Saints is set for 7 p.m. on Nov. 21, while Saturday's showdown with the Wolves gets underway beginning at 2 p.m on Nov. 23. 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
Having just one game last week, Academy of Art men's basketball handled Chico State on Nov. 16 at home with a final score of 105-81 to improve to 2-1 on the young season. ART U took off early, where they finished the game with the third-most points in program history, the most since 2014, and the third-highest field goal percentage (.623) in a game after they jumped ahead with an early lead they never lost. In addition to ranking in the program's single-game top three in most points in a game and field goal percentage, the Knights made their ninth-most field goals all-time, knocking down 38.

Senior forward Quintin Metcalf went on to collect the most boards in the game (8) as he co-led the squad with his two steals alongside senior guard Rodney Munson. Munson's 19 points were the second-highest on the team, only behind senior forward Isaiah Williams' 20, but it was Munson who shot the best from the field as he went 7-for-13 on his attempts. Four other Knights managed to score double-digit points as well in senior guard Treylon Payne (14), Metcalf (14), junior forward Robbie Armbrester (11), and redshirt junior Donovan Vickers (10) en route to the third-most points in a game for the program. Vickers also dished off the most assists in a game (7) by a Knight this season.

As Academy of Art scores the second-most points on average thus far in the Pacific West Conference (86.3 per game), the squad holds the highest team field goal percentage with their .549 clip. Individual averages on the Knights that stand out among the conference thus far includes Williams's 18.3 points per game (fourth), Munson's .516 field goal percentage (sixth) and 2.0 steals per game (eighth), and Vickers' best first-place 4.5 assist-to-turnover ratio. 

SILENCING THE SAINTS
Currently ranked as the 16th best-team in the nation in NCAA Division II, Saint Martin's has begun their season with a perfect 7-0 record up until this point, defeating two top-15 nationally-ranked opponents including No. 5 Dallas Baptist. The Saints have additionally competed against a PacWest competitor three times this season already, as they took down UH Hilo twice in back-to-back games in addition to their victory against Westmont. No. 16 Saint Martin's has spread the ball out across the roster this year so far, with nine different members averaging 6.3 points per game or higher, while Dae'Kwon Watson leads the squad with an average of 15.0. There are also a good amount of players down low collecting boards as well, with five Saints grabbing 5.0 rebounds per game, none higher than Myles Samuels (5.5). The Saints enter the game as the second-ranked team in the NCAA DII West Region according to the D2CSC Men's Basketball Poll while they'll look for their eighth straight victory and the lead over ART U in the all-time series as it's currently tied up at 3-3.

WATCHING THE WOLVES
Looking to bounce back against the Knights after starting their 2024 campaign with a 1-7 record, Western Oregon is coming off a four-game losing streak (three straight to California Collegiate Athletic Association opponents) with their lone win coming against Cal State Monterey Bay by a one-point difference. The Wolves' seven losses have come with sure decisions in the oppositions' favor as well, as they hold an average scoring margin of -15.9 through eight games. The Wolves have five members scoring 7.0 points per game or higher with just two of those within double-digits, led by Jason Gallant's 17.4. Brady Grier has been the lone Wolf as well to collect over 5.0 rebounds per game, as he's just over it with his 5.1 average. The all-time series between the Wolves and Knights is also deadlocked at 1-1.

ART U SEES 3RD-MOST POINTS ALL-TIME AGAINST CHICO, 105-81
Never trailing in their home-opener against Chico State on Nov. 16, Academy of Art men's basketball raced out to a double-digit lead within the first five minutes of the tip as ART U returned to the win column with a 105-81 defeat of the Wildcats.

LOOKING AHEAD
The Urban Knights will close out their non-conference stint to begin the 2024-25 season next week after their battles with Stanislaus State on Nov. 27 and Simon Fraser on Nov. 29.