AZUSA, Calif. – Closing out the regular season with a victory, Academy of Art men's basketball clinched the third seed in the Pacific West Conference Tournament next week with their 84-60 win over Azusa Pacific.

"This afternoon was a great team win," said ART U Head Coach Scott Waterman. "After two tough losses and being on the road, we battled adversity and played a great game on both ends of the floor. Again, we held an opponent to under 40 percent shooting from the field and I am proud of how we attacked their zone. This was what we needed as we head into the Pacwest Tournament next week."

As the Cougars jumped ahead early with an 8-0 lead to start the game, it was all Urban Knights from there as the squad immediately erased their deficit to take the lead at 14-13. Never giving up an advantage from that point, ART U steadily created a 10-point lead right before halftime to enter the break up 37-27. Senior forward Isaiah Williams took off in the opening frame, as he finished the opening 20 minutes with 16 points on 6-for-8 shooting, and drilled both of his three-point attempts. 

The second half was no issue for the Knights, as ART U sailed to their final regular season conference victory. Their 10-point advantage held at the start of the half was the closest the Cougars would be, as the visiting side in the Knights built upon that lead by as much as 24 points at the 84-60 final score.

For the Knights, it was Williams' all-around performance that led the squad as he finished with 24 points and four rebounds. Moore's scoring off the bench was also key, as his 15 points, a career-high, in 15 minutes gave the ART U quality depth to help build up their large lead. Four other Knights also contributed with nine points apiece in senior guard Rodney Munson, senior forward Quintin Metcalf, senior guard Treylon Payne, and junior forward Robbie Armbrester.

Next up is the PacWest Conference Tournament, as ART U will next prepare for their Quarterfinal contest against Westmont commencing Thursday, March 6 at 5 p.m. inside the Conlan Center in San Rafael, Calif.