TURLOCK, Calif. – On the road for the last time before Pacific West Conference action begins, Academy of Art men's basketball returned to the win column against Stanislaus State on Wednesday with a 66-62 final score.

"Tonight it was great to finally secure a road win after the past two heartbreakers," said ART U Head Coach Scott Waterman. "However, we took those losses and learned how to close a game, which we did against a tough team. We had guys step up and make plays in the second half when we needed it. We will take this one and use it as momentum for our upcoming five-game home stretch."

Although scoring their lowest amount of points this season so far in the contest, ART U (3-3) showed what they can get done defensively as the Urban Knights additionally allowed the fewest opponent points scored. The low-scoring battle showed up early as both the Knights and Warriors remained scoreless for over two minutes to start the game until senior forward Quintin Metcalf broke the silence with a turnaround left-handed hook shot in the paint. Academy of Art and Stan State (3-3) continued to not break away from one another for the duration of the first half, with the scoring margin never reaching more than five points. With Metcalf and junior forward Bryce Moore leading their team at the time, the opening frame eventually went on to enter the break with a 30-26 score in favor of the Warriors.

In the second half, ART U continued to display team basketball with all Knights on the floor contributing throughout play. A 14-0 run from the Academy of Art is what separated the squads midway through the closing period, as senior forward Isaiah Williams, junior forward Robbie Armbrester, and redshirt junior guard Donovan Vickers took over offensively for the duration of the run.

Fighting to get back into it, Stan State responded with a run of their own as they then outscored ART U 13-3 to take the lead by one with under three minutes to go. In the ending moments, points from Metcalf, senior guard Treylon Payne, and Williams put the Knights up as the latter sealed the contest with a free throw to make it a two-possession game in the final seconds to secure the 66-62 triumph. 

Metcalf left the contest as the co-leader in points (14) with Williams as he additionally brought in 10 rebounds to record the first double-double for an ART U player this season. While Williams held seven boards, Vickers and senior guard Rodney Munson dished out four assists apiece. 

ART U now heads home to compete in their final non-conference contest before PacWest play as they'll square up against Simon Fraser this Friday with a 3 p.m. tip.