Belmont, CA – Academy of Art University men's basketball made a strong second half comeback attempt Monday night inside Walter Gleason Gym, but Notre Dame de Namur managed to clutch its lead and win 74-71. Three attempts at a game-tying 3-pointer came in the final seconds of a contest that featured nine ties and 10 lead changes. Both junior forward Keith Davis and freshman forward William Overton, Jr., led the ART U second half charge. Davis posted a game-high 22 points (18 in the second period) and Overton, Jr. also reached double figures with 10 points.

“I thought Keith played a good second half,” Head Coach Mark Sembrowich said. “We were able to run some things for him and he was able to finish so I thought he did a good job. Will was able to create some shots for himself on his talent alone in the second half. He is very talented with the basketball. I thought both guys did well in the scoring department in the second half.”

As the teams exchanged baskets in the early going, junior center Hunter Hayden put the Knights' first points on the board with a hook shot. Indicative of the early back-and-forth action, bodies then flew all over the court on a loose ball at the 16:00 minute mark. Though the Argos went on a 7-1 run first, Academy of Art responded with a quick 7-0 burst that saw back-to-back 3-pointers from sophomore guard Ivan "B.J." Prema, Jr. off passes from senior guard Phillip Samuel.

The Knights and Argos battled through four ties and eight lead changes in the early part of the first half as ART U established a 17-15 advantage on another triple by Prema, Jr. From there, Academy of Art scored five more unanswered points to extend its lead. Freshman center Noah Koné-Nelson knocked down three consecutive jumpers (two during the run) to help ART U go up 24-18.

After NDNU came back with a 5-0 push, freshman guard Czar Robotham nailed a 3-pointer to keep the Urban Knights in front. Notre Dame de Namur eventually retook the lead, but both squads remained close with the halftime score favoring the Argos 36-31.

Academy of Art University started off the second half on fire. Davis scored five quick points, and a nice spin move by Hayden made it a 7-0 run. Tied 38-38, the teams fought through three more lead changes with Davis continuing to pour in the ART U offense. The long ball was working for NDNU, however, as the Argos then used a 14-5 run to take a nine-point advantage midway through the period. A bucket by sophomore center Mike Jorritsma brought the Knights within five, and later senior guard Devin Williams knocked down a 3-pointer to make the margin just three, 62-59.

In the final five minutes, Overton, Jr. went to work, scoring all 10 of his points during that span. His second 3-pointer of the night put ART U behind by just one point, 72-71, with 28 seconds left. Then, on the Knights' final possession in the waning moments, Overton, Jr. attempted three game-tying triples with offensive rebounding help from Hayden and just could not get one to fall. NDNU prevailed 74-71 when the buzzer sounded.

“I think NDNU made some good plays,” Coach Sembrowich said. “They had a couple of guys who stepped up and played well for them. They were able to slow our runs down by getting the ball inside.”

Davis finished with a game-high 22 points along with two rebounds. Overton, Jr., who came alive in the second half as well, added 10 points. That forward combination scored 28 second half points. Prema, Jr. knocked down the three 3-pointers for nine points while Hayden contributed eight points and seven rebounds.

“I thought our guys played really hard and I thought B.J. gave us a nice lift especially in the first half,” Coach Sembrowich said. “Hunter, I thought, did a good job in the second half. And Mike Jorritsma gave us some good defensive minutes in the first half. He was very good defensively. Also, it was really good to see Noah make some jumpers in that first half as well. A lot of guys really played hard and contributed so it was disappointing that we didn't find a way at the end. I thought we played well.”

Ball distribution was also spread nicely around the team with nine different Urban Knights recording at least one assist. The ART U record is now 5-15 overall, and 2-8 in PacWest play.

“I think we're really working for guys to give up the ball,” Coach Sembrowich said. “Somebody's going to shoot it, but we've talked about how if you have a good shot and you pass to a teammate who is open for a great shot, then why not go for it? There was some really unselfish play tonight so that was good.”

NDNU's team-high 19 points and a game-high 14 rebounds completed a double-double for forward Tyler Fricke. He also added five assists and five blocks. Guard Jeff Ford chipped in 12 points. The Argos move to 4-16 overall, and 2-8 in the PacWest.

The Urban Knights stay on the road this week with one final out-of-state roadtrip coming up. ART U travels to Grand Canyon for a rematch this Thursday, February 10th. Tipoff is scheduled to follow the women's game at 7:15 PM MST (6:15 PM PST).