SAN RAFAEL, Calif. – A double-digit lead for Academy of Art men's basketball turned into a one-possession lead over Dominican with just 30 seconds remaining in regulation, but as has been the hallmark all season, the ART U defense forced a crucial turnover on the penultimate DU possession as ART U clinched a 75-70 Pacific West Conference victory to win their sixth consecutive game in the season finale.

Action went back-and-forth throughout the majority of the first half, but despite the Urban Knights (20-8, 14-6 PacWest) hitting the scoreboard first on a pair of free throws, it was the Penguins (12-16, 7-13 PacWest) who held a slight edge with just under six minutes remaining. At that point there was a shift in momentum with ART U producing a 14-0 run over just a three-minute span, flipping the game on its head as the Knights put in work from the painted area with four layups in that span, three of which belonged to junior forward Latrell Williams. ART U even cashed in from beyond the arc thanks to a triple from senior guard Klay Brown. 

While that stretch gave Academy of Art a nine-point cushion, a Dominican jumper and free throws saw them return the game to just two possessions at the break, 35-50. Strong in the opening half for ART U was graduate student guard Deang Deang, who already had 10 points while Williams was busy cleaning the glass with 11 rebounds. Though not reaching 50 percent as they had in recent games, the Knights closed out the first 20 minutes connecting on over 40 percent of their looks from the floor (41.4 percent, 12-for-29) and from three-point range (40.0 percent, 4-for-10). 

Action continued to be tight in the early goings of the second period as an opening jumper from Dominican's Justin Brown once again saw the teams separated by just one possession. After hovering for the next few minutes, this time it was the Penguins that put together a run as their 9-0 stretch that culminated in a pair of free throws on the back side of a media timeout with just under 12 minutes remaining. 

As quickly as it had come, the lead Dominican lead had disappeared as Academy of Art nearly returned the favor with a mini 7-0 stretch of their own, of which five points belonged to sophomore forward Jamal Fuller. Ready to return the favor were the Penguins, who quickly erased the deficit in under a minute to knot the game again at 53-53. 

Much like the first half, ART U strung together a double-digit run with a 10-0 span that was largely comprised of buckets from the paint, wiping just a minute and 10 seconds off the clock to establish their edge. In a game where no lead was safe, that felt true once more as there was yet another shift in the game's momentum with just five minutes remaining as the Penguins slowly returned the game to just two points with 30 seconds left. 

Showing why they are one of the toughest defensive teams in the country, ART U cranked up the pressure and was able to force the Penguins into a turnover that all but iced the game. Having to foul as their only chance to get the ball back, Dominican sent Academy of Art to the stripe where they were able to ice the the contest for a 75-70 victory, closing out the regular season campaign on a season-best six-game winning streak.

Though ART U had already set a new program records for wins in a regular season (in two fewer games), this year marked the first time Academy of Art reached the 20-win mark prior to the postseason. Overall the Knights have now won 10 of their past 12 games dating back to Jan. 12, and they clinch the season series sweep over the Penguins for the sixth time between the two teams as they have now won the past four straight over Domincan. 

Building on his solid first half was Deang, who was the top scorer on the Knights with 20 points to go with five rebounds and a pair of steals, while Williams shined with a 16-point, 15-rebound double-double effort (third of the season). Also hitting double-digit points off the bench was Fuller, who ended his night with points. Defensively, six of the nine Urban Knights to play in the recorded at least one steal with Brown, already in the top 10 nationally for total steals and steals per game, led the team with three swipes for the game.

Academy of Art now turns its focus to the postseason, as ART U returns to the Pacific West Conference Championships with the goal of defending the program's first ever PacWest Tournament title from last season. The opening round of the tournament will see the No. 3 seeded Urban Knights battle against tournament host and No. 6 seed Chaminade on Thursday, Mar. 2 at 7 p.m. PT.