Game #18
ART U Urban Knights (9-8, 2-7 PacWest) vs. Menlo Oaks (7-9, 3-6 PacWest)
Saturday, January 25, 2025 at 1 p.m.
Atherton, Calif. – Haynes-Prim Pavilion
Live Stats | Live Video

ART U TO MEET MENLO FOR FIRST TIME IN PROGRAM HISTORY
Gearing up for its final game on the mainland this month, Academy of Art women's basketball challenges not only a new Pacific West Conference member in Menlo, but this weekend will feature the two teams' debut matchup.

TIP-OFF
Though this Saturday, Jan. 25 will not be the first time ART U has played a game inside Haynes-Prim Pavilion in Atherton, it will be the first occasion in which the Urban Knights and Oaks have faced off. Tip time is 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
Entering the weekend with the PacWest's sixth-most overall wins, Urban Knights have triumphed over SF State (Nov. 8), Cal State Monterey Bay (Nov. 9), Cal Maritime (Nov. 12), Stanislaus State (Nov. 16), Sonoma State (Nov. 21), UC Merced (Dec. 1), Chaminade (Dec. 21), Jessup (Jan. 8), and Lincoln (Calif.) (Jan. 11) thus far in their 2024-25 season. Not allowing an opponent to shoot higher than .404 from the field since Dec. 7, ART U continues to hold the conference's top spot in terms of lowest opponent field goal percentage (.343) while also ranking third in both assists (13.5) and offensive rebounds per game (12.5).

The Academy of Art active streak of having at least seven different players score is up to 17 games (23 straight dating back to the end of last year). Averaging the highest point total on the year, senior forward Yasmine Sifaoui's 10.5 points per game (20th in PacWest) comes with the conference's second-highest field goal percentage (.497) after she has shot .571 (12-for-21) in her last three contests. Not far behind Sifaoui in terms of points per game are junior guard Alba Rovira Ayuso (8.6), senior forward/center Christy Ojide Boiko (8.1), redshirt freshman guard Karereatua Williams (6.7), sophomore guards Lucia Revenga and Maddie Morrow (both 6.1), and sophomore guard Anna Fornells (5.8).

Ojide Boiko's 6.0 rebounds per contest have her 14th in the PacWest but she is among the top 10 in blocks per game (0.9) with freshman forward Keira Mitchell, who has elevated herself to fifth (1.2). At 567, Ojide Boiko needs just five more rebounds to reach the third spot in ART U's career history and just one more to reach fifth in career defensive rebounds specifically. Revenga's 11 assists in her last three games has helped her rank ninth in the conference at 2.7 per game while the six steals Fornells has gained over her last three outings has her average up to 1.8 (11th in PacWest).

AMONG THE OAKS
Only slightly ahead of ART U in the PacWest standings through its first year in the conference, Menlo sits at 7-9 overall and 3-6 in PacWest matchups after besting Cal State Monterey Bay, Sonoma State, and UC Santa Cruz twice during the non-conference portion. The Oaks opened conference play by dropping games to Azusa Pacific and Vanguard before defeating Chaminade and Jessup, losing a back-to-back with Dominican, and most recently topping Fresno Pacific then falling to Concordia and Westmont. Menlo, who will host Jessup on Jan. 23, ranks third in the PacWest in turnover margin (2.4) and fourth in points per game (67.6) with Alberte Frisch (13.9 points per game) and Jordyn Rosette (13.4 points per game) leading the way. Saturday will mark the first time Academy of Art and Menlo cross paths.

SUNBIRDS FIGHT OFF MULTIPLE KNIGHT COMEBACKS IN REMATCH
Academy of Art women's basketball bounced back in both the first and second half on the road at Fresno Pacific on Jan. 20, but despite trailing by just one at the half and by only five with nearly six minutes left, the Urban Knights dropped the Pacific West Conference rematch 59-46 inside the Special Events Center.

LOOKING AHEAD
Departing California for the first time this season, ART U next travels to Hawaii to match up with UH Hilo (Jan. 30) and Chaminade (Feb. 1).