Box Score

San Francisco, CA -- With upset on their minds headed in to Saturday's game against a Dixie State team that is ranked second in the Pacific West Conference, the Academy of Art University men's basketball team held a slim lead into the final two minutes before a late comeback left them out of luck in an 82-80 loss. The Urban Knights frustrated the Red Storm up and down the court, outshooting them 47% to 39% from the field, but in the end the late charge by Dixie proved just enough to slip by and foil the upset bid.

"I thought the guys did a really good job of executing the gameplan for thirty-nine minutes," said head coach Julius Barnes. "There was a stretch there where we turned the ball over and they got out in transition and got some easy buckets, and I think that ended up being the difference maker and why we weren't able to be victorious today."


The Urban Knights (6-19, 4-14 PacWest) jumped out to an early lead, going up 22-18 on a three-pointer from Moore heading into the media timeout with 10:31 to play. The Knights stretched the lead to eight on a three-point play from Rodrigo Maza with 8:55 to go, and pushed it into double-digits down the stretch of the first half. The lead was a much as 14, as the Urban Knights took a 43-29 lead after Alex Carmon made a pair of free throws with 3:38 left. Dixie State (20-5, 14-5 PacWest) closed the gap to end the half, but ART U still held a healthy 47-40 lead heading into the locker room.

Academy of Art shot an extremely efficient 60% from the floor in the first half but did run into a bit of foul trouble, as five players ended the half with three fouls. The Red Storm also had 12 fouls in the first half, but with the Knights running a short bench and having only eight players suited, they were going to have to keep the Storm off the line in the second half.

"We were very active defensively," said Barnes. "I think we really focused on closing out the shooters and making sure they only got one shot, although we did give up 17 offensive rebounds. But I like the acitivity on defense, I like the intensity, I like the effort, guys were flying around and making plays." 

Moore stayed hot coming out of the break, hitting a jumper to open the scoring. The Knights held the lead and got it back to double digits on a jumper from Moore that made it 54-44 with 17:11 to go. Dixie State then went on a 10-0 run to tie the game with 15:29 to go, and from then on the game was a back and forth battle.

The Red Storm took a brief 57-56 lead, but ART U came back with seven straight by Moore, who made two jumpers and then a three-pointer to move into first place all-time in triples in a single-season (56). Moore's third three of the game made it a 72-66 lead by the Knights with only 4:51 to play.

But with the Knights in foul trouble, Dixie started to get to the bucket. Jordan Rex made a layup, and Zach Robbins was fouled before making both free throws, and then three straight layups gave the Red Storm a 76-73 lead with 45 seconds on the clock. The Urban Knights tried to foul down the stretch, but Dixie made six straight free throws to secure the victory and hand the Knights another close loss.

"I wish we had been able to sustain that [defensive effort] for the duration of the game, but when you've got guys who are playing 35, 36, 37 minutes per game all year, that kind of takes a toll, so I think that played a role in it too," said Barnes. "But Dixie's a good team. They made plays down the stretch like we expected them to, and that's the reason why they're number two in the conference."

Moore's 29 points led all scorers and also led four Urban Knights in double figures. Alex Carmon added 14 points and seven rebounds, while Aaron Anderson made 7 of 10 from the free-throw line to end with 13 points. Rodrigo Maza had 12 points and six rebounds before fouling out. Kimball Payne had 19 points on 8 of 12 shooting to lead Dixie State, while De'Quan Thompson added 17 points and Zach Robbins had 12 points and 13 rebounds.

ART U will play at Dominican on Monday against a Penguins squad that has eight straight before finishing the year at home against Azusa Pacific on Thursday.