ROCKLIN, Calif. – In a tale of two halves, Academy of Art men's basketball were up by first period's end, but Jessup's strong second half was enough to get themselves over the hump and take the 76-74 win on Wednesday night.

Kicking off the game with a 9-0 run, the Urban Knights (8-6, 4-3 PacWest)  were cruising before a Warriors timeout put an end to ART U's early domination. It didn't take long for Jessup (7-6, 4-3 PacWest) to get back into it, as they responded with a 7-0 run within minutes. In a first half of runs, ART U then scored 14 straight points to go up 23-7, but a 17-2 run for Jessup brought the game back to 25-24, still in favor of the Knights. ART U would never lose that lead in the opening frame, as halftime came settled at 33-28.

Facing a lead that got back up to 12 for ART U at a point, Jessup erased their deficit with just over five minutes left as the two battled it out down the stretch. Once the Warriors gained the lead for the first time with now just under five minutes to go, they maintained that for the entire duration, but the Knights would come back to get within a point with 20 seconds left, and would get the opportunity to either tie it up, or take the game in regulation. After the ball would find its way to hitting the rim three separate times in the final few seconds, ART U couldn't get it to drop as Jessup snuck away with the 76-74 victory.

Three Knights ended the game with 18 points or more, with senior forward Isaiah Williams leading the way (19) as redshirt junior guard Donovan Vickers (18) and senior forward Quintin Metcalf (18) were right there with him. Not only was Metcalf a part of the big three of the game for ART U in scoring as he went 7-for-7 from the field, but he additionally added on nine rebounds and five steals to his stat sheet for the night. Senior guard Rodney Munson helped out the offense as well, totaling a new career-high in assists (9), which is also the new season-high for all members of the squad.

Looking to split the series, ART U will run it back against the Warriors on their home floor next on Saturday, Jan. 18 with a 3:30 p.m. tip.