Box Score

San Francisco, CA – Academy of Art University men's basketball team battled through a tough game Wednesday night, never giving up. Facing Cal State Monterey Bay inside Kezar Pavilion, the Urban Knights rallied with a spirited comeback to test the Otters in the end. Though CSUMB took the game 76-62, freshman forward William Overton, Jr. posted 32 points, shooting nearly 50 percent from the floor with three 3-pointers made.

“We're still trying to figure ourselves out a little bit,” Head Coach Mark Sembrowich said. “It's nice to know that Will can do that, but we need to make sure that we are more balanced.”

Early on, ART U established a 5-2 advantage with three points coming from junior center Hunter Hayden. CSUMB stayed close and after the teams were tied 10-10, a push by the Otters put them ahead, 23-13, with 7:31 remaining in the half. Using a quick 5-0 burst highlighted by a three-point play from sophomore guard Ivan "B.J." Prema, Jr., the Knights did not let Monterey Bay get far.

Overton, Jr. scored four points in the final minute to make it a 12-point advantage for CSUMB at halftime, 43-31. Overton, Jr. had notched 13 points by that time. In the second period, the Otters went on a 9-2 run to build up their lead, but before they could get comfortable, Academy of Art responded.

Surging back with a 9-2 run of their own, the Urban Knights cut down the advantage to 10 points, 63-53, with 6:35 left to play. Junior forward Keith Davis sparked the rally by getting to the free throw line and converting a pair. Later, senior guard Devin Williams found Hayden inside for a layup to put ART U in business.

With another strong stretch of basketball, Academy of Art had cut the CSUMB lead down to seven, 69-62. The push came via Overton, Jr. who scored all nine points of a 9-3 burst, while knocking down five foul shots in the process. As the Otter advantage was within single digits with just under 2:30 to go, the Knights nearly had it within five points, but a triple by Prema, Jr. did not fall, and Monterey Bay hit its free throws down the stretch for the victory.

“That [comeback] was really important,” Coach Sembrowich said. “We've got fight in us and it's important that the guys feel that about themselves and know that. I think that's good and it's going to pay off some other time. Not tonight, but some other time it will pay off.”

Leading ART U offensively, Overton, Jr. turned in a game-high 32-point performance, marking the first time an Urban Knight had scored over 30 in consecutive games. He had 19 points alone in the second half. Davis added nine points, going 7-of-8 from the free throw line, and recorded nine rebounds. Along with his game-high 11 rebounds (five offensive), Hayden scored six points. Overall, eight different Academy of Art players scored in the contest with the bench contributing 11 points in total. ART U's record now stands at 2-4 overall this season.

The Otters had a big scoring night from guard Davion Berry who went for 23 points off the bench. Guard Brandon Ward, the only other CSUMB player to score in double figures, had 18 points. That guard duo combined to make six 3-pointers in the game. Cal State Monterey Bay improves to 4-2 overall on the year.

Academy of Art men's basketball concludes this week with a road contest against Western Washington University on Sunday, Dec. 12. ART U and WWU are scheduled to tip off at 1:00 PM inside Sam Carver Gymnasium.