OAKLAND, Calif. – Academy of Art men's basketball moved back into the well-known win column as the squad took down Fresno Pacific on Saturday with an 88-82 final score in extra time.
"Sometimes you will take a win any way you can get it," said ART U Head Coach Scott Waterman. "After our tough loss Thursday, we just had to grind tonight out against an FPU team that played very well. The team will now get back to work and lock in to take another step next week to reach our goals."
The Sunbirds' record drops to 4-10 in the Pacific West Conference standings while they are now 6-16 after the contest, as the Urban Knights reach 11-4 in conference and 15-7 overall. FPU came out of the gates hot, holding the lead for the majority of the first half. ART U would consistently climb their way back to be within striking distance, but could never get over the hump as they would head into the break right behind with a 41-39 score.
Coming out of halftime, the Knights continued to hang right there with FPU, and it wasn't until just under eight minutes left in the contest where ART U found its first lead since the opening bucket of the game. The squad would go on to control a narrow margin for about six minutes, and Fresno Pacific eventually used a burst to get the score back to a deadlock. In a see-saw sequence, Isaac Peralta of FPU would take the lead for the Sunbirds off a fastbreak layup before two free throws from junior forward Isaiah Williams would tie it back up at 74-74. Both sides had a chance to take the lead in the last minute of regular play, but neither could get one to fall as the end of regulation came.
The Sunbirds would strike first in overtime off a Peralta free throw, but the Knights responded with an 8-0 run. Four different members of ART U would score in extra time as the squad controlled the entirety of the last five minutes of the game, keeping FPU out of rhythm, knocking down all 10 free throws, and taking the PacWest victory with a 88-82 final.
Junior guard Rodney Munson and senior forward Latrell Williams led the team in points (17 apiece) as they each collected three steals as well. With Latrell Williams' three steals, he has now tied the all-time career steals record in ART U program history, with 146 to date as he also led the team in rebounds (10) to record his 24th career double-double. Junior guard Jamal Fuller added on double-digit points (15) while Isaiah Williams did the same (14) and junior guard Treylon Payne had the Sunbirds locked up on the defensive end, as he collected a team-high in steals (four).
Kyle Monk of FPU did all he could as it seemed as he couldn't miss from distance, scoring the team-high in points for the Sunbirds (25) on 8-for-14 shooting while going 7-for-10 from three-point range. Harrison Pennisi added on 21 points on 10-for-13 from the field while Ryan Abbott was just one statistic shy in multiple categories for a double-double, scoring nine points and nine rebounds.
The Knights will next take a quick detour out to UC Santa Cruz to take on the Banana Slugs in a non-conference matchup on Tuesday, Feb. 13 with a 7 p.m. start at Kaiser Permanente Arena.
