OAKLAND, Calif. – Contributions came from all around during Academy of Art men's basketball's Pacific West Conference matchup with Holy Names on Wednesday, as six Knights scored in double figures while the squad pulled down a season-best 48 rebounds to help ART U grab their second win in a row with a 92-85 victory. 

"It was good to get another win tonight and continue to build towards gaining a bid in the PacWest tournament," said ART U Head Coach Scott Waterman. "Tonight we did a great job on the boards and got back to playing our tempo. We cannot rest [as we] bounce back for our rematch Friday, it will be a different game and we can still play better."

Needing nearly all of their 93 points, the Urban Knights (12-10, 8-6 PacWest) got back to their winning ways by scoring 90+ points for the fifth time overall this season, but was just the first time in their past 11 contests. Though the Hawks (5-16, 3-10 PacWest) jumped out in front and looked to seize control early, a massive 16-2 run by ART U would swing momentum in their favor as they leapt out to a comfortable cushion.

The stretch started with a handful of buckets from in the paint and a jumper from graduate senior guard Joshua Bagley, with ART U ultimately taking the lead on a 3-pointer from junior guard Klay Brown, immediately followed by another three-ball from junior guard Brian Rios. Among the key inputs during the stretch was from graduate student forward Adrian Byrd-Jelinek, adding eight points which was capped off by a shot from beyond the arc. 

While ART U would reach their largest lead of the game at 17 points twice with just under three minutes remaining in the first half, HNU clawed their way back into the contest with a 14-0 run of their own, but a jumper from graduate student guard Denny Slay would beat the buzzer and make it a 45-38 game at the break. 

Academy of Art's lead would fluctuate throughout the second half but sat in the double-digits as they looked to put the game away with a three-point barrage, as Rios nailed a trio of shots from downtown within the first five minutes of the frame. By game's end Rios would finish with four trey's (4-for-7) leading to a season-high 14 points.

HNU would once again fight their way back into the contest on the strength of scoring from Edward Gray and Austin Carter, but a jumper from the paint by Gray to cut the deficit to three points would be as close as the Hawks would come. With Holy Names put in a position to foul, the Knights were able to ice the game from the free throw line for their 12th win of the season, which ties a program record they have achieved twice (2017-18 & 2019-20). 

Leading the six Knights in double-digit scoring was Bagley with 18 points, two off his season best, and paired that with three assists. Brown would follow with 16 points of his after knocking down 6-of-12 attempts from the floor, with Rios adding his 14 points while Slay chipped in 13 on 5-for-8 shooting from the field. 

Six Urban Knights would snatch at least five rebounds or more on a night where they set their season-best mark as a squad with 48, with junior forward Mike Asante posting the team-high with nine, his second consecutive game snatching nine boards. Sophomore forward Cheicna Sissoko claimed eight of those rebounds, while three others ended with six apiece. 

These two teams will meet once more, with the rematch taking place just two days from now on Friday at 5:30 p.m. from Tobin Gymnasium.