SAN FRANCISCO – From the onset, Academy of Art men's basketball exhibited all-around team play. Their team-first mentality, coupled with a career-high, 16 points from
Cobe Williams led the Urban Knights to their first PacWest victory this season over Notre Dame de Namur.
In the first half, ART U kept things close, never trailing by more than six points. At the 8:57 mark, the Urban Knights made it even at 17 points apiece thanks to a triple from senior guard
Kendall Brown. The Argonauts regained the lead, taking a three-point advantage, however a pair of free throws from junior guard
Zuri Williams and a layup by junior center
Cameron Niven gave ART U their first lead of the night. The Knights scored three more consecutive shots to complete a 6-0 run and obtain a 4-point lead with 3:15 to play in the opening half. Nonetheless, the lead switched hands three more times before the end of the period and NDNU found themselves with a one-point, 32-31 advantage heading into the locker rooms.
To begin the second half, C. Williams knocked down a 3-pointer after only 14 seconds had expired. It was his first three points of the game in what would become the best 20-minute stretch of his career. Although the lead fluxuated back-and-forth several times throughout the period, C. Williams led the team with a career-high 16 points, all of which came in the final half. ART U took the lead for good with 7:59 to play thanks to a pair of made free throws from freshman guard
Stefan Milivojevic. The Urban Knights did not look back as they continued to build their lead until the final minute when they pulled ahead by nine points for their biggest advantage of the night. With the score now at 65-56, ART U withstood a final 3-point attempt from the Argos to allow the score to stand, giving the Knights their first PacWest victory and second win of the season.
C. Williams' 16 points were a career-high for the Pismo Beach, Calif. native and he also contributed a pair of rebounds. Junior guard
Cole Morgan impressed as well, scoring the team's second-most points (11) while also compiling five boards. Milivojevic was also a strong performer coming off of the bench, playing a career-high 26 minutes, nearly double his previous high of 14. The Sokobanja, Serbia native also tied his career-high with eight points while posting a career-best five boards.
Now at 2-7, 1-2 PacWest, Academy of Art will look to keep the momentum alive when they head to Holy Names on Sunday for a 6:00 p.m. matchup with the Hawks.
