ST. GEORGE, Utah -- Academy of Art led by as many as seven points in the first half, but a strong second half by the Griffins resulted in a 56-50 loss for ART U on the final day of the Dixie State Thanksgiving Classic inside of the Burns Arena.

The Urban Knights wasted no time, scoring 15 seconds into the game on a layup by junior forward Victor Ruiz de Carranza followed up by senior guard Zuri Williams' first three pointer of the season to give ART U a 5-0 lead.

Westminster fought back and pulled ahead 12-9 with 11:52 to play, but a free throw by junior forward Lake Del Mar coupled with a deep three from Carranza put Academy of Art back on top.

The Griffins matched ART U's points and more, with a 5-0 run before the Urban Knights took a 9-0 run of their own that began with a fade away jumper by Del Mar to tie the game followed by a three pointer by sophomore guard Stefan Milivojevic shortly after to take the lead 22-18 with 2:41.

Academy of Art kept rolling and in the final seconds of the half senior guard Kiel Long hit his first three pointer of the year at the buzzer to send ART U into the half with a 29-22 lead.

The Griffins went on the attack early, scoring the first nine points of the second half to take a 29-32 lead before senior forward Brenden Otero ended the Knight's drought with a three-pointer to tie the game at 32.

Westminster continued their offensive and went out to a 48-40 lead with five minutes remaining. Academy of Art narrowed the gap to three with 23 seconds remaining on a layup by Milivojevic, however, the Griffins put the game out of reach on a trio of free throws after the Knights were forced to foul.

Carranza added to his impressive first year as an Urban Knight with a season high five steals while collecting nine points, six rebounds, and two assists. Long matched Carranza's team high nine points while securing two steals and three rebounds.

After the loss, Academy of Art drops to 0-5 on the season. With the completion of the Dixie State Thanksgiving Classic, Academy of Art will look ahead to PacWest play, starting with Point Loma on Nov. 29th, 7:30 p.m. at Kezar Pavilion.