HONOLULU – Entering their quest to defend last year's Pacific West Conference Championship title, this year's No. 3 seed Academy of Art men's basketball dominated its way into the next round in addition to setting a program record with a seventh consecutive win as ART U rolled past tournament host and No. 6 seed Chaminade 93-69 in the PacWest Championship Quarterfinal on Thursday. 

"What a great way to start the conference tournament," said ART U Head Coach Scott Waterman. "It started with our defensive effort, and to hold a great offensive team like Chaminade to under 40 percent shooting was huge for us to win. We dominated the boards, and offensively we were patient and got great shots resulting in us shooting 55 percent."

From the opening tip offense was easy to come by, with the fast tempo game leading both sides to a pair of buckets within the game's first 90 seconds. For six minutes neither side led by more than two points, until the Urban Knights (21-8, 14-6 PacWest) started to lean their foot on the gas pedal and build some cushion for their lead. For a little while the Silverswords (14-15, 9-11 PacWest) nearly kept pace with the Knights, staying within shouting distance at two or three possessions.
Eventually the Academy of Art offense became too much for the PacWest Tournament host, with the Knights at one point scoring seven consecutive baskets from inside the painted area as they finally reached a double-digit lead thanks a 5-0 run beginning at the 5:35 mark. Fighting back before the half, Chaminade was able to string together a bit of offense at the tail end of the period to bring the ART U lead down to just 49-41 at the break. Efficiency was key for the Knights in the first half, going 20-for-35 (57.1 percent) from the field including 5-for-7 (71.4 percent) from three-point range.

Much like the first period both sides connected on their first possession, but a 3-pointer from junior forward Latrell Williams once more gave the Knights a double-digit lead that would only continue to grow. After hitting on five triples in the first 20 minutes, Academy of Art drained three more in the second half with all coming in their first four buckets of the frame. At that point the ART U shooting touch was sizzling as they had gone 8-for-10 from beyond the arc.

Though they cooled off from outside, the Knights continued to put in work the near the basket with taking high percentage looks as they dominated the points in the paint, 60-28. Again, Academy of Art cashed over half of their shot attempts, this time going 20-for-37 (54.1 percent) on their looks in the frame to end the contest at 55.6 percent (40-for-72) overall. It was the 11th time this season ART U shot 50 percent or better, the fifth time in the past seven games, and a program record ninth occasion eclipsing the 90-point barrier. 

While the Knights failed to record double-digit steals for the first time in the past six games, the Academy of Art defense still made its presence known by forcing Chaminade into tough shots all night, but especially in the second half when CUH was just 11-for-32 (34.4 percent) from the floor. Entering as one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the PacWest with the second-best scoring average in the conference (81.1 ppg entering tonight), Chaminade was just 2-for-14 (14.3 percent) from deep in the second half as they dropped only 28 points in the final 20 minutes. 

Going to work on the glass, the top rebounding team in the PacWest in the Urban Knights continued what they do best, snatching 48 rebounds to just the 25 of the Silverswords (their 13th game with more than 40 rebounds). Those boards also helped ART U hold a decisive edge in second-chance points, 24-2. 

In what was already a record-breaking season for ART U, tonight's win continued the stretch as they won a program-best seventh consecutive game, topping the six straight that they won last year that began against Saint Martin's on Nov. 26, 2021 before ending with a win against Chaminade on Dec. 19, 2021. A whopping 14 of the 21 ART U victories this season have come by double-digits, with nine of those 14 by 20 points or more (both marks are ART U records). Additionally, after losing each of their first two PacWest Championship contests, Academy of Art has now won each of their past four for an overall record of 4-2 (.667). 

After having split the season series this year (with CUH handing ART U its only loss when scoring above 75 points) and last with each defending their home floor, Academy of Art enacted a measure of revenge as they are now 1-1 against Chaminade in the PacWest Championships, avenging the loss they suffered at the hands of the Silverswords on March 5, 2020. In fact, tonight's win marked Academy of Art's first ever win on Chaminade's floor in Honolulu against the Silverswords, even though for record purposes the game is counted as a neutral-site game. 

Balanced scoring was the offensive theme for ART U, as there were six Urban Knights to reach double figures. Tops among them was the duo of Williams and graduate student guard Will Balata, as they each produced 20-point, 11-rebound double-doubles (fourth for Williams; third for Balata). Balata poured in 12 of his points in just the first half, while Williams chipped in 12 of his points and nine of his rebounds during the second frame.

Senior guard Klay Brown reached the mark by adding 15 points to go with a team-best five assists, and sophomore forward Jamal Fuller chipped in 14 points and eight rebounds in a strong performance off the bench. Rounding out the group was graduate student guards Deang Deang and Stephon Hall with 10 points apiece. 

"We took care of business on day one, and now we have to start prepping for a tough matchup tomorrow with APU," Waterman said.

The PacWest Championships roll on tomorrow as the No. 3 seed Urban Knights match up with No. 2 seed Azusa Pacific beginning at 5 p.m. HT/7 p.m. PT.