OAKLAND, Calif. – Academy of Art men's basketball set themselves apart from Western Oregon in a game that the Urban Knights led by double-digits for more than half of the contest and set a new season-high in points in their dominant 99-72 showing over the Wolves in their last non-conference battle in 2023.

"Tonight we showed our ART U basketball identity," said Head Coach Scott Waterman. "Forcing 21 turnovers that led to 37 points while having 20 assists is what we want as we prepare for the rest of PacWest play. We had great energy and the guys were playing for each other which I was really happy to see. Now we have to get prepared for a tough road trip this weekend."

The Knights, who improved to 6-3 on the season, and the Wolves, now 3-6 overall, had a competitive first 10 minutes as the teams went back-and-forth with scoring runs before the two had it tied up at 18-18 midway through the first half of the frame. From here on out, it seemed ART U couldn't miss in a half where they shot 70 percent from three, as they then went on a 16-0 run that included seven straight points from junior forward Jamal Fuller that marked the beginning of an eventual blowout. A mixture of buckets from senior forward Latrell Williams, junior forward Isaiah Williams, junior guard Rodney Munson, and Fuller came throughout the remainder of the half, and the team had themselves an 18-point lead at the break as the score settled at 51-33. 

ART U kept their foot on the gas to start the second period, starting off with a 13-0 run in the first four minutes to now be up by more than 30 with plenty more game to play. As the Knights continued to control the game, redshirt sophomore guard Eli Taylor showed out for the crowd when he recorded five points, two assists, two steals, and a rebound all in less than an incredible minute span. The game saw a season-high for Eli Taylor in points (13) as the team collectively cruised through the rest of the contest. While they had the lead by 41 points at a time, ART U finished the game off at 99-72.

In an all-around team effort, Fuller and Munson co-led the squad in points (18) while Latrell Williams tacked on 15 of his own. Isaiah Williams scored 12 more while holding the team lead in rebounds (7). Academy of Art recorded 15 steals as they sit among leaders in the nation for average takeaways per game (sixth place) with four members of ART U in the top five within the Pacific West Conference.

Cameron Benzel of the Wolves tallied up 16 points with nine rebounds as Kris Cook added on 13 points, Makaio Murphy contributed 11, and Qiant Myers scored 10.

Academy of Art will take their first Southern California trip of the season as they'll compete with Biola this Saturday, Dec. 16 with a 7:30 tip-off at Chase Gymnasium.