Game #20
ART U Urban Knights (4-15, 3-10 PacWest) vs. Westmont Warriors (8-12, 4-8 PacWest)
Thursday, February 8, 2024 at 5 p.m.
Oakland, Calif. – Laney College Gym
Live Stats | Live Video

Game #21
ART U Urban Knights (4-15, 3-10 PacWest) vs. Fresno Pacific Sunbirds (15-5, 9-3 PacWest)
Saturday, February 10, 2024 at 1 p.m. *ALS Awareness Day*
Oakland, Calif. – Laney College Gym
Live Stats | Live Video

ACADEMY OF ART BEGINS HOMESTAND BY FACING WESTMONT, FRESNO PACIFIC
Back from Southern California and finished with travel outside the Pacific West Conference's Northern California region for the remainder of the regular season, Academy of Art women's basketball now turns its attention to a rematch with Westmont and a first meeting with Fresno Pacific both in the Bay Area.

TIP-OFF
Playing their first home games in the month of February, the Urban Knights get set to host Westmont this Thursday, Feb. 8 at 5 p.m. before meeting Fresno Pacific for the first time this Saturday, Feb. 10 at 1 p.m. Both contests will be played at Laney College Gym in Oakland. 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.

Saturday's game will be ALS Awareness Day. ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks nerve cells and pathways in the brain and spinal cord. Patients in the later stages of the disease are totally paralyzed, yet in most cases, their minds remain sharp and alert. Every day, an average of 15 people are newly diagnosed with ALS and as many as 30,000 Americans may currently be affected by ALS. To help support research, advocacy, nationwide care services, and ALS-specific clinical care, please click here to donate.

KNIGHT WATCH
Ranking among the PacWest leaders as they have for much of the season, Academy of Art can be found third both blocks (3.2) and steals per game (9.2). Sophomore guard Alba Rovira Ayuso leads the team on the offensive end, averaging 13.1 points per contest (fourth in PacWest) along with the fourth-most 3-pointers made per game (1.7). Second on the squad at 9.2 points per game, freshman guard Lucia Revenga has excelled defensively, remaining first in the conference at 2.5 steals per contest.

Both among the PacWest's top 13 in rebounds per game, junior forward/center Christy Ojide (6.3) and junior forward Yasmine Sifaoui (6.2) are also inside the top nine in blocks per contest at 1.1 and 0.8 respectively. In her most recent outing, Ojide matched her career-high with four blocks to become the Academy of Art career blocks leader with 78 to date.

Freshman guard Maddie Morrow has knocked down multiple 3-pointers in four of her last five games and holds the second spot in the conference at 1.8 made per contest while her .333 three-point field goal percentage is seventh in the PacWest.

WEEKDAY WARRIORS
In what was the first meeting to date between the two programs, Westmont defeated ART U on Jan. 5 and has since gone 2-4 with victories over Bethesda and Hawaii Pacific most recently. For a Warriors team that ranks third in the PacWest in offensive rebounds per game (13.3), Sage Kramer checks in at fourth in the conference in total rebounds per contest (7.2) while adding team-bests of 11.5 points (11th in PacWest) and 2.1 steals per game (fourth in PacWest).

SUNBIRDS SCORCHING
Yet to face Academy of Art this season, Fresno Pacific started the year 10-2 with a sweep in Hawaii to open conference play and, after falling to Azusa Pacific and Concordia in mid-January, the Sunbirds won three consecutive games approaching a Feb. 8 matchup with Dominican. FPU paces the PacWest in scoring defense, allowing opponents' just 57.6 points per game (including a conference-low .247 three-point field goal percentage) while ranking second in the PacWest in rebounds per game (38.6). Felicia Dourva's 12.3 points per contest are eighth in the conference while Maesyn Rix leads all in the PacWest at 9.3 rebounds per game. After winning three of the last four matchups, the Knights are just in front of Fresno Pacific all-time 11-10.

OJIDE BECOMES ART U CAREER BLOCKS LEADER IN LOSS TO PLNU
The Pacific West Conference Southern California road trip for Academy of Art women's basketball concluded with a milestone as junior forward/center Christy Ojide achieved the program's new career blocks record despite ART U's 70-54 defeat at Point Loma's hand inside Golden Gymnasium on Feb. 3.

LOOKING AHEAD
As the Urban Knights continue their current homestand, it will be rematches with UH Hilo (Feb. 17) and Dominican (Feb. 22) next up at Laney College Gym in Oakland.