SAN RAFAEL, Calif. – Both Academy of Art men's basketball and their opponent Sonoma State got off to a hot start in their battle on the final day of the PacWest/CCAA Challenge, but ART U seized the game's momentum with an 12-2 to close the first frame and never looked back en route to a 77-70 victory on Sunday. 

"This afternoon we took another step on both ends of the court against a scrappy Sonoma State team," said ART U Head Coach Scott Waterman. "After an up-and-down first half, we really exerted our pressure at the beginning of the second half and were able to extend our lead. If we can continue to improve and come together, great things will be on the horizon."

Fresh off a win in the season opener after a double-digit comeback, the Urban Knights (2-0) went step for step with the Seawolves (0-2) in the early goings of the contest. Eventually, Sonoma State was able to take slight control and establish a six-point lead, their largest of the game, just over midway through the frame. That would hold for a five-minute stretch where both teams turned up the defensive pressure. 

Making a move just before the half was ART U, composing a 12-2 run over the final four and a half minutes to eventually take a 35-31 edge into the break. The run was started with a pair of shots from beyond the arc by graduate student guard Deang Deang (his second and third of the half), featured a layup from sophomore guard Rodney Munson and, after a single free throw from Deang, was capped off by another three-ball from senior guard Klay Brown. 

Though the Seawolves got the first bucket of the second half, the Knights offense continued their hot touch as they pushed their lead to double digits within four minutes. Much of the offense began with ART U's defensive pressure, forcing SSU into turnover that immediately led to offense. By the end of the game, Academy of Art had forced Sonoma State into a total of 26 turnovers while scoring 27 points off of turnovers. 

A 3-pointer from graduate student guard Will Balata pushed the lead to 15 points with 15 minutes left to play, but the Seawolves continued to chip away at the deficit before ultimately getting it to a one-possession game thanks to a 13-4 run. After a response long ball from Brown, his third of the game, the Knights got back to their identity with active hands and tough defense turning into offense down the stretch. It was Brown continuing to lead the charge down the stretch, with ART U defending its lead until the 77-70 finish. 

Tonight's win marked the second consecutive 2-0 start to the season for ART U, the third in program history, as they started the 2021-22 campaign in the same fashion with an exciting 78-74 overtime win over this same Sonoma State squad. This marked the third consecutive victory over Sonoma State dating back to 2019-20, and they now lead the all-time series by a 4-3 margin. 

Four Urban Knights turned in double-digit scoring efforts, once again led by the game-high 20 points from Brown to give him back-to-back 20-point performances. He paired that with eight rebounds and five assists, both of which were also game-highs. 

Another team performance, key in the win was sophomore forward Jamal Fuller who ended the day with 16 points thanks to going 6-for-7 (85.7 percent) from the floor and was 2-for-2 from deep. After 10 first-half points, Deang finished the contest with 12 by going 3-for-4 from beyond the arc, while Balata chipped in 11 on 4-for-5 shooting from the floor. Stepping up defensively was Munson, swiping a game-high five steals with three assists. 

Academy of Art will return to action in a matter of days, as ART U heads across the bridge to take on Cal State East Bay on Wednesday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m.