HILO, Hawaii – The Academy of Art men's basketball team never trailed against UH Hilo on Friday, pulling away with a Pacific West Conference win by a final of 76-66. 
 
"I couldn't be prouder of our team tonight," said ART U head coach Scott Waterman. "A total team effort doesn't describe it. We were able to shoot 55 percent from the field because we moved the ball and executed our game plan, and add to that our rebounding margin, which helped neutralize their offense."
 
Knocking down 59.3 percent of their shots from the floor, the Urban Knights (7-14, 5-9 PacWest) jumped out to an early 11-2 lead on the Vulcans (9-8, 7-7 PacWest). Junior guard Joshua Bagley and junior forward Josh Hill combined for nine points in the initial run, and ART U would build a lead as large as 12 points with just over five minutes left. UH Hilo would fight back just before the break, cutting the Urban Knight lead to 37-30. Finishing with 10 points in the half was Bagley, while junior guard Stefan Milivojevic chipped in eight points on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting from the field. 
 
The Vulcans would score the first two buckets of the second half, as UH Hilo would come back to tie the game on two different occasions, the last time with over 11 minutes remaining in the game. Always there to respond was ART U, as a 6-0 run would help build the lead back up as they would cruise toward the finish line. The win will send the Urban Knights home with a 2-1 record while out on the islands, as they have now won two in a row after topping HPU on Wednesday.
 
"Getting two road wins in Hawai'i is very difficult, but I give our guys a ton of credit for accepting the adversity after the Chaminade loss and not backing down," Waterman said.
 
Down the stretch it was senior guard Victor Ruiz de Carranza who kept the team going by scoring all 11 of his points and snatching six of his 12 boards in the second half as he posted his second double-double of the season. His first came against Holy Names back on Jan. 7. 
 
Hill has been on a roll while in Hawai'i, as he has finished with a double-double in all three games on the trip. Tonight's effort of 12 points and 11 rebounds was his sixth on the season, and he has averaged 14.3 points per game over his last three contests. Junior guard Dante Williams totaled 12 points in the win, and Milivojevic would make it to 11 points to go with a game-high five assists. 
 
For the Vulcans it was Sasa Vuksanovic with a game-high 18 points, while just behind him was Elisha Duplechan with 17 points. Kupaa Harrison would pull down a team-high five rebounds to go with 11 points. 
 
The Urban Knights will return home to Kezar Pavilion the next time out, as they host Fresno Pacific during Campus Safety Night on Feb. 6 at 7:30 p.m.