Game #7
ART U Urban Knights (5-1) vs. UC Merced Bobcats (4-3)
Sunday, December 1, 2024 at 1 p.m.
San Francisco – Kezar Pavilion
Live Stats | Live Video

DECEMBER BEGINS WITH SECOND PART OF ART U'S SIX-GAME HOMESTAND
After logging its fifth victory of the season last week, Academy of Art women's basketball continues the series of six home games that will take the Urban Knights to the end of the calendar year by hosting UC Merced this Sunday. It will mark the last matchup before Pacific West Conference action starts up.

TIP-OFF
ART U's lone contest this week takes place inside Kezar Pavilion this Sunday, Dec. 1 with tip-off set for 1 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 latest 2024-25 D2 College Sports Communicators Media Poll sees Academy of Art receiving votes in the West Region for the second consecutive week after a 5-0 start to the season had the Knights on the cusp of the top 10 with six votes in Week 2. Undefeated through its first five contests, ART U topped SF State (Nov. 8), Cal State Monterey Bay (Nov. 9), Cal Maritime (Nov. 12), and Stanislaus State (Nov. 16), and Sonoma State (Nov. 21) before dropping a decision to Chico State last weekend (Nov. 23). Academy of Art has demonstrated its strength on both ends of the court, averaging the PacWest's second-most points (70.7), assists (15.7), and rebounds per game (43.3) as well as the lowest opponent field goal percentage (.323).

Following its sixth straight game with at least eight different Urban Knights in the scoring column, ART U also still has eight individuals with averages above 5.5 points per game. At 13.3 points per contest, junior guard Alba Rovira Ayuso remains 12th in the conference, doing so on the strength of the third-highest 3-pointers made per game average (2.5) and ninth-best three-point field goal percentage (.405). Sophomore guard Maddie Morrow and senior forward Yasmine Sifaoui are tied for second on the team at 8.2 points per game with the former knocking down 2.2 triples on average (fifth in PacWest) and the latter adding one of the conference's top 10 rebounding clips (6.2). With eight or more rebounds in three of her last four outings, senior forward/center Christy Ojide Boiko can be found sixth in the PacWest in rebounds per contest (7.2) while checking in at fourth on the team with 7.5 points per game. On the defensive end, sophomore guards Anna Fornells and Lucia Revenga share the team lead at 1.8 steals per contest (ninth in PacWest) and freshman forward Keira Mitchell still holds a place among the top five in blocks per game (1.2).

MEET MERCED
Emerging 4-3 through its first seven games of the season against a variety of opponents, UC Merced most recently defeated California Tribal College and Lincoln while dropping a 70-63 result to Sonoma State in the final two weeks of November. The Bobcats, who face Dominican on the road just 24 hours prior to meeting Academy of Art, are led by Nicole Lukito with her 16.0 points, 15.6 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game coming on .556 shooting from the field and a .909 free throw percentage. Sunday's matchup will the first to date between UC Merced and ART U.

SECOND HALF SWINGS WILDCATS' WAY IN WIN OVER ART U
After a furious second quarter comeback by Academy of Art women's basketball to make it a one-point game at halftime, Chico State benefited from a momentum shift in the second half and went on to prevail 74-52 inside Kezar Pavilion on Nov. 23.

LOOKING AHEAD
PacWest action begins in the later part of the coming week with the Knights first hosting Vanguard on Dec. 5 at SF State then Point Loma on Dec. 7 at Kezar Pavilion.