SAN FRANCISCO – Academy of Art men's basketball (4-11, 3-6 PacWest) knew they would be in for a tough rematch with Dominican University of California (5-12, 4-7 PacWest) on Thursday after claiming their first matchup just 12 days ago. Both sides battled for every point from start to finish, but the Urban Knights could not maintain their second-half lead, falling 61-51 to open their three-game homestand.
 
The Penguins quickly gained the lead to open the first half and found themselves with a 10-point advantage after ten minutes had passed. However, after trailing by 13 points with 4:18 before halftime, ART U was able to respond by cutting the deficit to just six points after a 7-2 run. The score now stood at 26-20 with just over three minutes to play. The Urban Knights kept it close in the half's waning minutes, but ultimately headed to the locker rooms trailing by eight points, 31-23.
 
To begin the second half, Academy of Art showed their ability to keep stride with the Penguins and fought their way back into contention with an immediate 7-0 run. Their streak was accented by a triple from junior guard Victor Nwaba that pulled the Knights within one point. Three minutes later, ART U found themselves trailing by one when Dominican committed a technical foul, allowing junior guard Kendall Brown to shoot twice from the free-throw line. Both attempts were successful, giving the Knights the tying and go-ahead points. The Urban Knights held the lead for the next two minutes, but the Penguins tied the contest at 38 points apiece and eventually took the lead for good.
 
Despite the loss, ART U displayed their versatility and ability to share the ball on offense. This was exemplified by the fact that no Urban Knights reached double digit points until less than a minute remained. In the end, Nwaba was the only player to score above ten, finishing with 12 points, two rebounds, one assist, and one block. Senior forward Chris Salas contributed nine points, six rebounds, and a steal, while senior forward Luka Radovic (seven points, eight rebounds) and freshman guard Dante Williams (two points, one rebound) each produced two blocks apiece. Overall, the team tallied six blocks on the night which ranks 10th in program history and is and their highest mark since January 22, 2015 when they totaled seven against Hawaii Pacific.
 
Academy of Art will continue their three-game set at home on Sunday when Note Dame de Namur comes to town for a 3pm tipoff.