SAN FRANCISCO – Monday night's contest between Academy of Art and Biola University was the definition of a back-and-forth game as for 40 minutes, neither side's lead stretched beyond single digits. However, the Urban Knights pulled away in the final nine minutes, eventually recording their ninth win of the season, matching the men's basketball program record.
 
To begin the first half, the Eagles got out to an early, 4-0 lead. However, a layup by senior guard Kendall Brown at the 14:15 mark gave ART U a 1-point, 7-6 lead: their first advantage of the game. This sparked a string of 11 lead changes throughout the contest, including nine in the opening 20 minutes. Nonetheless, it was not until the 8:35 mark that the Urban Knights were able gain control of the half: the Knights used an 8-point run to build themselves a 7-point lead thanks to contributions from four different ART U players. Academy of Art continued to lead for the remainder of the period and went into halftime with a 40-35 lead.

 
In the second half, the Urban Knights continued to look in control as they held onto their lead for nearly nine minutes and led by as many as eight points. However, Biola refused to go down without a fight and slowly chipped away at their deficit. With 11:32 on the clock, the Eagles took the lead for the first time of the half after BU's Trevor Treinen scored a layup to make it 49-48. Biola refused to hand over their lead for over seven minutes, but ART U kept the score within striking distance, never trailing by more than five points. However, it was not until the 4:17 mark that the Knights made their move, taking a 2-point lead following a pair of made-free throws from Brown. A minute later, BU knotted the score at 67 points apiece, however freshman guard Stefan Milivojevic put the Eagles away for good when he knocked down a triple with 2:57 on the clock. Milivojevic played an integral role down the stretch as well, snagging a clutch, offensive rebound with 23 seconds to play in a 3-point game. The Sokobanja, Serbia native also made a free throw with only six seconds to play, putting the game out of reach for Biola, giving his team the victory.
 
Despite ranking third in the PacWest in average points allowed, it took a strong offensive-effort to come away with the win on Monday night: at the end of the first half, ART U was shooting 56 percent from the field and their consistency continued in the second as they shot an even, .500. Their efforts led to a pair of players reaching double-digit point totals including Brown, whose 24 points led both sides. The Corona, Calif. native also contributed six rebounds on the night as well as five assists and a steal. Senior guard Uchenna Okeneme was also a strong contributor, collecting 11 points, three assists, and two rebounds. Junior guard Kiel Long also put together a big game against the Eagles, scoring nine points with five rebounds, one assist, and he matched his career-high of three steals.
 
ART U is now 9-11, 8-6 PacWest and their nine wins matches the program record which was set during the 2012-13 season. Still holding down the sixth and final spot needed to receive a conference tournament berth, the Urban Knights now head on an important trip to Southern California whey they will take on the likes of Point Loma (fourth place) and California Baptist University (third place).