Box Score

Phoenix, AZ -- The Urban Knights fought tooth and nail for forty minutes but ended up inches short against Fort Lewis in the opening game of the GCU Thanksgiving Holiday Classic on Friday. Academy of Art had another great game shooting the ball, but a last-second buzzer-beater by William Overton, Jr. rattled out and the Skyhawks came out on top for a heartbreaking 78-76 loss for the Knights.

The Knights took the lead once in the game, right before halftime, but came back multiple times to push Fort Lewis to the limit, trailing by one at halftime and finally losing by two. Czar Robotham had 19 points, including 14 in the second half, to lead ART U, and also added six assists and two steals to his total. Guard Ameer Shamsud-din had 18 points, including a 4-8 night from beyond the arc, and chipped in four rebounds. PacWest scoring leader Overton had 15 points, including eight points in the last three minutes, but couldn't get the final shot to go to put the Knights on top.

Fort Lewis spread the scoring, getting double-digit contributions from five different players, being led by Matthias Weissl and Matt Billups, who each had 14 points. Center Matt Morris put up a double-double, with 11 points and 10 rebounds, including the game-clinching free-throws with 18 seconds to go. The Knights hung around as the Skyhawks shot only 53% from the free-throw line in the second half, including a lot of misses down the stretch that gave ART U the lifeblood they needed to stay in the game until the end.

Academy of Art and Fort Lewis were neck and neck in the first half, with neither team really gaining an advantage. There were three ties in the first half, and in the second half it seemed that the Urban Knights were right with the Skyhawks for the entirety of the game. Every time the 'Hawks went on a run to try and bury the Knights, somebody stepped up and made a big shot to keep them right in it.

The final minute was an exciting one, as the Skyhawks seemed to put the Urban Knights away with a Torrey Udall layup that put them up 73-65 with 1:12 left. Udall promptly fouled Overton taking a three, who subsequently made all three free throws with 0:57 on the clock. Overton then stole the ball from Billups and got the layup and the foul, and sunk the ensuing free throw to make it six straight points to bring the Urban Knights within two, at 73-71 with 0:48 left. 

That's when the Knights decided to foul the rest of the way, and it almost paid off. Billups made his two free throws, but then Robotham made a layup to keep the margin at two with 0:28 seconds to go. Mike Matthews made the first but missed the second, and the Skyhawks got the rebound, going back to the line after Overton fouled Morris. Morris made both from the stripe, and the lead was back to five with only 18 seconds left. 

Shamsud-din got the ball from Robotham and spotted up a three to make it 78-76 with 0:11 on the clock, and Fort Lewis missed both free throws to give ART U one more chance to either tie or win. Overton got the rebound with 0:09 to go, but his last-second 3-pointer was off the mark and the Knights could not complete the comeback effort.

For the Knights, it was a good sign and a growing trend that they can spread the scoring to multiple players during the game.  Shamsud-din had 13 points at the break, and looked poised to have another big game after his 32-point outburst last weekend. His layup at the end of the first half cut the Fort Lewis lead to 37-36, but the Skyhawks did a good job limiting him in the second. But with him being shut down, two more Urban Knights stepped up in his place, as both Overton and Robotham put up a majority of their scoring in the second half.

Having so many weapons will only improve the Knights chances down the line. When teams decide to lock down on Shamsud-din, for example, it opens up opportunities for Overton to work himself around the floor, and gets Robotham the open chances from beyond the arc. The bench is starting to chip in points as well, as freshman Myles Babitt had a flawless night, scoring five points in five minutes with a trey and two free throws down the stretch.

The Urban Knights will play again at 1:30PM Pacific Time on Saturday against No. 22 Seattle Pacific.