Box Score
San Francisco, Calif. (11/18/08) -- Despite playing a very strong second half, the Urban Knights fell to the Warriors of CSU Stanislaus, 80-101, on Tuesday night at Kezar Pavilion. Sophomore point guard Weleh Dennis paced his team with 18 points to go with six rebounds and freshman point guard Marqus Crawford came off the bench to score 17 points and pull down six rebounds of his own.
CSUS went on a 15-4 run after the game had been tied at four early on, but they didn't stop there. Three-pointers and lay-ups came at a premium for the Warriors who surged again with a 12-4 stretch to give them a 17-point advantage at the 11:00 minute mark. The Urban Knights were also just 9-15 from the free-throw line in the half. A look at the scoreboard showed Cal State Stanislaus up 66-30 when the first period finally came to an end.
After shooting 57 percent from the floor (including 69 percent from three-point range) in the first half, CSU Stanislaus came back down to earth in the second period. However, aggressive defense from Dennis, who finished with five steals, and solid contributions from sophomore guard Dominique Smith (11 points) and Crawford off the bench helped Academy of Art University fight back.
CSUS had pushed the lead to as many as 45 points with 14:27 left in the second half, but a 25-8 run by the Urban Knights over the next six minutes dramatically cut it down. Dennis was all over the court and initiated a few fast-breaks with his defense in that stretch. Late in the game, Academy of Art University had brought Cal State Stanislaus' advantage down to 19, but the home team would come no closer.
The Warriors had a balanced attack with five players scoring in double figures (Matt Ibewiro posted a game-high 22 points and two players finished with 15 apiece). Ibewiro also added 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the season and Chris Teevan added eight assists for a CSUS team that spread the wealth.
With the loss, the Urban Knights move to 0-1 on the season while Cal State Stanislaus is now 1-0. Next up for Academy of Art University is a huge game at the Division I University of San Francisco Dons this Friday (11/21/08). Tip-off for the clash of future rivals is set for 7:00 PM.
