CHICO, CALIF. – Academy of Art men's basketball (1-4) was bested by No. 19 Chico State's (4-1) stingy defense on Friday night. The Urban Knights were held to a 32.7 percent field goal percentage in the affair, falling 83-55.
 
Not much offense was seen throughout the first four minutes of the first half as both sides had only combined for nine points at the first media timeout. However, the Wildcats took off from there and took a 20-point lead with 4:50 remaining in the period. ART U was able to take control of the remainder of the half however, going on a 6-0 run to trim the deficit to 14 (33-19). Eventually, Academy of Art brought it down to 13 with 2:30 remaining in the half. Nonetheless, the Urban Knights headed to the locker rooms at halftime trailing by 15, 43-28.
 
As the second half began, ART U looked to continue their offensive-push, but Chico came out of the gate with their foot on the gas pedal. The Wildcats went on an 11-2 run in the first two minutes of play and continued to extend their lead until they reached a 33-point, 79-46 margin with 2:47 remaining in the contest. Chico held on to defeat the Urban Knights 83-55.
 
Freshman guard Dante Williams played a significant role in the beginning of Friday night's contest. The Compton, Calif. native scored all seven of ART U's opening points. However, freshman guard Gary Davis led the team with 12 points and two rebounds off of the bench. Having only appeared for four minutes against Cal State San Bernardino, this was the Lee's Summit Mo. native's biggest workload as an Urban Knight, putting in 18 minutes of work and shooting 62.5 percent from the field (5-for-8).
 
Academy of Art will look to even their record in the Carl's Jr. Mac Martin Invitational on Saturday when they face Cal State East Bay at 5:30 p.m.