BELMONT, Calif. – Though a slow start out of the gate led to a double-digit deficit in the first half for Academy of Art men's basketball, they saved their best for last as a late 9-2 run was the key for ART U to outlast Chaminade down the stretch to earn their first Pacific West Conference win of the season 74-71 in front of their home crowd on Saturday. 

"After a rough weekend on the road last week, it was great to return home and get a win against a very good Chaminade team," said ART U Head Coach Scott Waterman. "We really put an emphasis this week on being a team and it showed with our energy on the court for 40 minutes."

A 3-pointer from graduate student guard Stephon Hall kicked things off for the Urban Knights (6-3, 1-2 PacWest), but it would turn out to be their only lead in the first half. Following that triple ART U would run into a slow spell, and it unfortunately coincided with the Silverswords (3-4, 1-2 PacWest) catching fire from beyond the arc as each of their first five buckets were from downtown. Despite an ART U timeout, the lead would continue to swell, eventually growing as large as 12 points. 

Midway through the frame was when the Knights came alive, using a mini 8-0 run that featured triples from graduate student guard Deang Deang and senior forward Mike Asante to erase nearly all of the deficit and only trail by two. Both sides would trade buckets toward the end that concluded with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Isaac Amaral-Artharee to give Chaminade a 41-38 edge. 

Once more the teams would exchange buckets through the opening minutes of the second period, until Academy of Art struck for its most dominant stretch by posting an 11-2 run to capture a six-point advantage. The span was started with layups from Asante and graduate student guard Will Balata, featured a three-ball from Deang, and was capped off with another pair of layups from junior forward Latrell Williams and Deang. 

Unfortunately the lead was temporary, as the Silverswords were able to battle back and knot the game with five minutes left in regulation. After the two teams traded jumpers to keep the game tied with four minutes to play, the Urban Knights were able to secure one final run with a 9-2 span, putting the Silverswords in a position where they needed to foul. A CUH 3-pointer and layup would keep the contest close, but the Knights were able to ice the game down the line and hold onto the win. 

Tonight's win ended the recent two-game skid for ART U and marked the second in the past three games over Chaminade, as they also captured a win on their home floor last season over the Silverswords. It also marked the fourth time that the Urban Knights have come-from-behind to win in the second half, and this was the second time this season that ART U has overcome a double-digit deficit. 

Bench scoring was key for the Urban Knights in the contest, as Asante and Deang tied for the team-high in points with 17 after both entered the game after the tip, marking the season-high point total for both. Falling just shy of a double-double was Williams, as he chipped in 10 points while tying for a team-best nine rebounds Balata, who ended just short of his own double-double after by adding nine points. Both were efficient from the floor, as Williams was 4-for-6 (66.7 percent) shooting while Balata went 4-for-8 (50.0 percent). 

"We had a slow start, but used great defense in the second half to get back into the game," Waterman said. "Now we can continue to improve as next weekend we have two big challenges ahead in APU and Biola." 

Azusa Pacific will be the first up for Academy of Art next time out, with tip-off set for 3:30 p.m. next Saturday while the Knights battle Biola in the final game before the holiday break on Monday at 3:30 p.m.