Box Score

San Francisco, CA – The Urban Knights stayed right with the eighth best team in the West Region Saturday afternoon inside Kezar Pavilion. Though BYU-Hawaii prevailed 73-64, Academy of Art University men's basketball remained in striking distance for the game's entirety and came within five points late. Freshman forward William Overton, Jr. and junior forward Keith Davis, each had a team-high 16 points apiece in the contest.

“I think we had a lot of good energy today and that our guys played extremely hard,” Head Coach Mark Sembrowich said. “There were a couple of tactical errors we made, but the kids just played really hard and battled through it. When you get that kind of effort, you give yourself a chance. BYU-Hawaii made some key plays down the stretch so you have to give them credit, but I was really proud of the effort we gave today.”

Long-range shooting by the Seasiders had the visitors up 15-4 early, but Academy of Art would fight back. Sparked by a layup from Overton, Jr., the Knights went on a 13-2 surge which included seven unanswered points. Sophomore guard Ivan "B.J." Prema, Jr. also added a triple off the bench to help keep ART U hot during that span. The run culminated in a spectacular defensive play with senior guard Devin Williams stealing the ball in the backcourt and putting in a layup.

Tied 17-17, BYU-Hawaii tried to pull away again though senior forward Jonathan Burnett responded with active rebounding. He had two put-backs on offensive rebounds to keep Academy of Art close. The Knights were down only by one, 22-21, with 5:41 remaining in the period, but the Seasiders managed to build back an advantage in the final minutes. Davis also put in four consecutive points to prevent a double digit lead at the half.

The forward tandem of Davis and Overton, Jr. combined to score 17 points in the first half for the Knights who trailed 39-33 at the break. Though BYU-Hawaii did push its lead to 15 at one point midway through the second half, ART U refused to give up.

In the blink of an eye, Academy of Art had the margin to single digits on a three ball by Prema, Jr. and an emphatic slam dunk by freshman center Noah Koné-Nelson. Moments later, with the crowd still buzzing from the dunk, Kone-Nelson calmly knocked down a pair of free throws and the Seasiders were now only in front by eight, 59-51. A 5-0 burst by the Knights where Davis found Burnett for a layup, and Overton, Jr. converted a three-point play then had ART U within five points as the clock showed 3:42 remaining.

BYUH managed to outscore Academy of Art 10-6 in the final minutes and hold off a comeback. Though BYU-Hawaii went on to win 73-64, the Urban Knights still came through with impressive energy and willed their way back into the contest late.

“I think that anyone who came to the game could see that tonight's effort was just a lot better than Thursday,” Coach Sembrowich said.

Leading the way for the Knights, Overton, Jr. and Davis had 16 points apiece and combined for 10 rebounds. Davis also had two steals, an assist, and a blocked shot. Burnett added seven points and four rebounds (three on the offensive glass). Prema, Jr. and Hayden chipped in six points each along with four and three rebounds respectively. As a team, ART U made 16 of its 18 free throw attempts for a strong 88.9% at the line. The Academy of Art's record is now 5-19 overall, 2-12 in the PacWest competition.

BYU-Hawaii had a game-high 23 points from guard Tsung-Hsien “Jet” Chang to go with four rebounds and four assists. With six 3-pointers made in the contest, guard Jake Dastrup contributed 20 points, while guard Marques Whippy posted a double-double in the form of 12 points and 12 rebounds. With the victory, the Seasiders sit atop the PacWest standings with a 10-2 conference record, 15-6 overall.

Academy of Art plays its final road game of 2010-11 when the Knights travel to Dominican on Thursday, Feb. 25. Tipoff for that contest is scheduled for 7:30 PM after the women's game inside Clonan Recreation Center.