SAN DIEGO – Battling back on the strength of a 10-0 run that brought them within one point with just over three minutes left, No. 4 seed Academy of Art men's basketball nearly pulled off the upset against site host and No. 1 seed Point Loma on Saturday, but a late PLNU response sealed an 83-70 win that eliminated ART U from the postseason in the NCAA Division II West Regional Semifinal. 

"I am so proud of this team for a phenomenal season," said ART U Head Coach Scott Waterman. "The ball didn't bounce our way tonight, but in the big picture, this team changed the course of ART U basketball in so many ways and will leave a legacy going forward. Despite being down, throughout much of the game, we battled and cut the deficit to a one-possession game in the final media timeout but couldn't get over the hump." 

The Sea Lions (29-3, 20-0 PacWest) opened the contest with a pair of buckets, including one on the game's first possession, but the Urban Knights (22-10, 14-6 PacWest) countered with a pair of their own as senior guard Klay Brown put ART U on the board with jumper from the paint before later turning a defensive rebound into a fastbreak opportunity for graduate student guard Will Balata. Three minutes into the game the momentum quickly shifted, as PLNU suddenly seized control of the game's momentum as they produced an early 12-0 run. 

Though Academy of Art was able to once trim the deficit to just four points at the 8:23 mark, Point Loma yet again pulled back in front as their lead fluttered until they led 44-34 at the halftime whistle. Helping keep the Knights close was sophomore forward Jamal Fuller, who poured in 16 points off the bench in the first 20 minutes alone for his 10th straight game in double figures (19th overall). 

For the majority of the second period the Point Loma lead hovered around double-digits, growing as large as 13 at one point, but in nearly the blink of an eye the lead nearly disappeared as ART U was attempting to pull of their 10th second half comeback victory. With just over five and a half minutes remaining in regulation ART U made its move, as junior forward Latrell Williams kickstarted what became a 10-0 run by beginning the stretch with a layup, triple and then second-chance layup, bringing the Knights to within four. 

A big defensive rebound for Williams helped the ART U gain possession before a foul sent the game to the media timeout, and out of the break Fuller was able to make the first of his two free throw attempts. Though his second missed, Williams again collected the offensive rebound and turned it into points, as the ball made its way to graduate student guard Deang Deang who converted a jumper from the paint that capped the stretch and had ART U trailing 67-66 with 3:06 left on the clock. 

Proving why they are the No. 4 team in the nation, the Sea Lions responded with their own 9-0 run that put them back in front by double digits, a lead that would hold through the end of the game as ART U briefly employed the foul strategy to save the clock. Thanks to their chances at the line and a couple of late buckets, it officially went into the books as an 83-70 PLNU victory to even the postseason series between the two teams at 1-1 after ART U ousted Point Loma from last year's PacWest Championship Semifinal in overtime. 

Even in the loss, the Knights still managed to connect on over 40 percent of their attempts from the floor as they were 27-for-62 (43.5 percent), and grabbed over 40 rebounds for the 15th time this season by ending the night with 41. While they only came up with nine steals on the defensive end, they did force the Sea Lions into 12 turnovers and held them to 35.5 percent (11-for-31) shooting in the second half (27-for-66, 40.9 percent overall). Additionally, they held PacWest Player of the Year Kaden Anderson to just 3-for-13 shooting from the field, though he did end with 16 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double. Tobin Karlberg had the game's high in points with 26 on 11-for-15 shooting. 

With seven of his points coming in ART U's final push down the stretch, Williams ended the contest with 16 points (on 7-for-10 shooting) and 12 rebounds (team-high) for his fifth double-double of the season, all of which came in the second half after running into foul trouble early in the first. Both Brown and Fuller closed the action with 17 points, while Balata was the fourth Urban Knight in double figures with 11 points. A quartet of Knights contributed seven rebounds each in Brown, Balata, Deang and Fuller, while both Brown and graduate student guard Stephon Hall chipped in three assists. 

"The seniors played a huge role in getting us to this point," Waterman said. "I can't thank Klay, Deang, Will, and Stephon enough for raising the standard of the program."

This concludes the 2022-23 campaign for Academy of Art men's basketball. For the latest news and information, and the upcoming season in review, check out www.ARTUAthletics.com.