SAN DIEGO – In the second showing this regular season of last year's two teams that shared the Pacific West Conference Regular Season title, Academy of Art men's basketball and Point Loma battled head-to-head for sole possession of the conference lead on Saturday night. Despite the Urban Knights keeping the contest within single digits for the majority of the matchup, it was PLNU that snuck away down the stretch to secure the 74-64 victory.

The first half of action displayed Point Loma (12-4, 5-1 PacWest) up for nearly the entirety of the frame, but not by much. The Sea Lions' slim lead came and went near the end of the opening 20 minutes, as ART U (8-5, 4-2 PacWest) finally broke through to gain a one-point advantage from a senior forward Isaiah Williams jump shot. PLNU responded by building that margin back up to five as they held the lead at the break with a 35-30 score. Looking good once again in a first half, senior guard Rodney Munson showed off his range as he went 4-for-5 from three-point distance to total 14 points by the first buzzer.

Finding a similar deficit throughout the second half for ART U, a game that saw multiple scoring runs from both sides had PLNU breaking away to a double-digit lead on numerous occasions as the Knights would steadily respond time and time again. Down seven with just under five minutes remaining, ART U responded by breaking the Sea Lions' advantage down to just three points, and had the chance to bring the score back to a tie, but back-to-back defensive showings from a Coby Barnes steal and Zack Paulsen drawn charge kept Point Loma narrowly up. With the clock winding down late, the home team ultimately broke away to come out with the 74-64 win.

Leading the team in scoring was Munson, who finished with 20 points on 5-for-8 shooting from the perimeter, while three other Knights in senior forward Quintin Metcalf (13), Williams (11), and junior guard Bryce Moore (10) knocked down double-digit points. Leading the team in boards was Metcalf once again as he brought in seven rebounds, while Williams continued his strong defensive display in recent games with six steals. 

Academy of Art return to the floor next week on Wednesday, Jan. 8 where they'll take on Jessup in the first of a back-to-back matchup with the Warriors.