Game #6
ART U Urban Knights (2-3) vs. Stanislaus State Warriors (3-2)
Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024 at 3 p.m.
Turlock, Calif. – Ed & Bertha Fitzpatrick Arena  
Live Stats | Live Video

Game #7
ART U Urban Knights (2-3) vs. Simon Fraser Red Leafs (3-5)
Friday, Nov. 29, 2024 at 3 p.m.
San Francisco – Kezar Pavilion
Live Stats | Live Video

LAST GAMES BEFORE CONFERENCE
Academy of Art men's basketball will compete in the last two non-conference games before Pacific West Conference action starts up, as the Urban Knights will battle against Stanislaus State on the road on Wednesday and Simon Fraser at home on Friday.

TIP-OFF
Wednesday's showdown with the Warriors will commence within Ed & Bertha Fitzpatrick Arena in Turlock, Calif. while the game with the Red Leafs will happen at the Knights' home floor in Kezar Pavilion; both containing a 3 p.m. tip-off. 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
It was a tough previous week for the Urban Knights when they fell just short in two games with one being a top-ranked team in the country, as ART U took on No. 16 Saint Martin's on Nov. 21  and Western Oregon on Nov. 23, both on the road. 

In yet more demonstrations of team basketball, ART U spread around the stats across the team in both games. Senior forward Isaiah Williams was the highlight of the game against SMU with his 23 points on 8-for-14 shooting from the field, with senior forward Quintin Metcalf, senior guard Rodney Munson, and junior forward Robbie Armbrester all collected boards as they each racked up eight apiece. Against Western Oregon, five members of the squad put up double-digit points, with senior guard Treylon Payne, Metcalf, Armbrester, Munson, and Williams all ranging from 12 to 14 points scored against the Wolves with two others just behind with nine apiece. One of those nine-point scorers was redshirt junior forward Peter-Kaci Gwananji, who saw the floor for 12 minutes against his previous team in the WOU, and the transfer was able to knock down 4-of-5 shots while collecting the team-high in rebounds (nine).

Defensively, ART U collected 11.5 steals per game as a team, while Munson averaged 3.5 himself to bring his season-long average to 2.6, seventh-highest in the PacWest Conference. Additionally in the conference statistical rankings, the squad leads the pack in field goal percentage (.502).

BATTLING THE WARRIORS
Sitting with a 3-2 record five games into the 2024-25 season, Stanislaus State enters the matchup in an identical boat to the Knights, as the pair both came out with narrow overtime losses. The Warriors faced UC Merced in their home-opener, and ART U will be the next team to walk into their arena since the contest. Both teams additionally have played Western Oregon this early season, with STAN just squeaking out a victory while ART U fell just behind. The Warriors have been seen this season rocking the same five starters in all five games, with Jeremiah Jones leading the team in points per game with his 18.8, followed up by Daniel Ameyaw's 10.4 average as he additionally leads the squad in boards with 7.6 rebounds per game. With Stan State's widest points margin this season being 12 points, they've been forced to stay competitive until the final buzzer in each contest. The Warriors lead the all-time series 4-2, but ART U has been victorious most recently, coming away with the win last season.

TURNING THE RED LEAFS
Currently 3-5 overall before Tuesday night's contest with Westmont, Simon Fraser has seen their three wins come from two Canadian opponents and a double overtime victory against Westminster. When squared up with a California Collegiate Athletic Association or PacWest foe, the results have ended with an 0-4 record. With the record, the Red Leafs still manage to put up 76.5 points per game as a unit while four members of their squad put up double-digit points. Luke Howard leads the way in the category with 17.5 points per game with his teammate Irish Coquia contributing 15.6 a contest right behind him. The rebounds for SFU seem to be spread out, with five Red Leafs containing an average of 4.3 per game or more. While ART U leads the all-time series with a 3-1 record, the two schools haven't competed in just over a decade, with the Knights coming out of it with the most points scored in a game in ART U program history back in 2014.

KNIGHTS BATTLE IN OT WITH WOLVES, WOU TAKES IT 90-83
Last Saturday afternoon on Nov. 23, the Academy of Art men's basketball team competed on the road against Western Oregon, where they saw the Wolves come away with the overtime victory, 90-83.

LOOKING AHEAD
Conference play is soon to be upon us with ART U starting their PacWest slate with four straight at home, beginning with Vanguard on Dec. 5 and Point Loma on Dec. 7.