Honolulu, HI – Academy of Art University entered into a battle of wills with Chaminade on Saturday night. Going back and forth with 11 lead changes and five ties, the Silverswords managed to prevail 70-66 inside McCabe Gymnasium. Junior forward Keith Davis and freshman forward William Overton, Jr. combined to score 39 points as the Urban Knights came within one point of CUH in the final seconds.

“[The team] made the decision they were going to play really hard and they did,” Head Coach Mark Sembrowich said. “It turned out to be a good college basketball game. Obviously we didn't win, but we took some steps in the right direction for ourselves and for our program. There were lots of good efforts from lots of different guys.”

Davis got ART U going early with six of the Knights' first eight points. Following an 8-4 Academy of Art advantage to begin the game, Chaminade rallied back with a 5-0 run and the teams were in a dogfight. Then, less than a minute after checking into the game, sophomore guard Ivan "B.J." Prema, Jr. nailed a 3-pointer to put ART U back ahead, 13-11. The triple sparked a 7-0 push by Academy of Art in which Prema, Jr. added another jumper.

Though the Silverswords responded, Davis would not allow the Urban Knights to fall behind. He finished with 12 first half points, converting all four of his free throw attempts. As the teams continued to jockey for position, senior forward Phillip Samuel also hit two big shots to keep ART U on top. Chaminade, however, came back to retake the lead by way of a 10-2 run late. After Davis and freshman guard Czar Robotham combined to make four foul shots to end the period, the teams left the court tied, 35-35.

Both squads struggled to find their offense early in the second half until ART U junior center Hunter Hayden converted the first field goal. Hayden's defensive activity was also on display Saturday night as the Hayward, CA native finished with a career-high five steals.

Overton, Jr. began to heat up in the second half with a jumper that put ART U up 41-37. Later, using a 6-0 run sparked by Overton, Jr.'s 3-pointer, Academy of Art found itself up 49-47 with 9:30 left to play. As close as the game had been to that point, Chaminade managed to open up its biggest lead of the evening with a 10-0 burst.

However, the contest would remain a fierce battle until its conclusion. It was Davis again who broke up the CUH streak with an energizing three-point play after a timeout. Seconds later, freshman center Noah Koné-Nelson stole the ball from the Swords, leading to a long range basket by Overton, Jr.

“Keith really came out ready to play and really set the tone for us,” Coach Sembrowich said. “I think the fact is that he's a junior and he was really ready to step up and be a leader on the court where we needed him. Will kept himself out of foul trouble in the second half. He got to stay on the floor more, and if he can play minutes, he'll have a chance to score. He really helped himself in that regard.”

With under a minute remaining, Chaminade hit a 3-pointer to go ahead by six, but the game was far from over. Davis buried a shot from beyond the arc with 19 seconds left to make the score 66-63 in favor of CUH. The Knights then made the Swords pay for their missed free throw as Overton, Jr. came through with yet another trey to bring Academy of Art within one point, 67-66. From there, Chaminade was able to make three of its final four foul shots to put the game just out of the Knights' reach, finally winning 70-66.

Leading the Knights, Davis had a game-high 20 points (5-of-5 from the free throw line) and four rebounds. Overton, Jr. finished with 19 points (3-of-9 from beyond the arc) and four rebounds as well. Hayden stuffed the stat sheet with eight points, seven rebounds, and the aforementioned career-high five steals. Off the bench, Prema, Jr. had eight points while sophomore center Mike Jorritsma added six rebounds. The ART U record now moves to 3-9 overall, 0-2 in Pacific West Conference play.

Chaminade was paced by 15 points and seven rebounds from forward Matt Cousins. Guard Waly Coulibay chipped in 14 points and six rebounds while center Mamadou Diarra finished with 13 points and six rebounds. Chaminade is 9-5 overall, 2-0 in PacWest play.

Academy of Art University men's basketball continues its Hawaii roadtrip on Monday, Jan. 10 at BYU-Hawaii's Cannon Activities Center. The Knights and Seasiders are scheduled to tip off at 7:30 PM HST (9:30 PM PST) following the women's game.