SAN FRANCISCO – Academy of Art men's basketball headed into Saturday's senior day and final game of the season looking for an exciting sendoff for seniors Herman Pratt IV and Chris Salas. Their objective was achieved as Pratt, the all-time ART U steals leader, reached triple digits in that category and Salas scored a game-high 18 points.
 
Both sides were evenly matched in the game's opening 11 minutes. Neither side held more than a four-point lead to that point and things were all tied up 19-19 at the 9:02 mark. The Cougars closed out the rest of the first half in dominant fashion, building up to a 14-point lead with 42 seconds to play and eventually held a 12-point advantage as both sides headed to the locker rooms.
 
Azusa Pacific picked up where they left off to begin the second half, stretching their advantage to 24 points at the 11:44 mark. However, just two minutes into the period, Pratt recorded his first steal of the game, giving him a total of 100 for his career. Pratt would record three more steals in the half, finish the game with four, and his career with 103 (the highest mark in ART U men's basketball history).
 
With 5:52 remaining on the clock, the Urban Knights did as they have done all year, and clawed their way back into contention. The Knights went on a 10-0 run, highlighted by nine points from Salas who also recorded three offensive rebounds and a steal during that stretch. Salas' 18 points in the second half helped ART U finishing the game just 10 points behind the Cougars and the final field goal of the contest was fittingly a layup in the paint by Pratt.
 
Three players finished the game with double digit points for Academy of Art. They include: Salas (18), junior guard Victor Nwaba (13), and freshman forward Ivan Furlan (11).
 
The Urban Knights close out the 2016-17 season with a 7-19, 6-14 PacWest record and finish in 11th-place in conference.