Hilo, HI (1/28/09) -- The Academy of Art University Men's Basketball team finished up their road trip to Hawaii with a disappointing 24-point loss to the UH Hilo Vulcans, with a final score of 81-68.  The Urban Knights went 0-3 on the road in Hawaii and faced some very talented and experienced teams, including the Western Region #1 ranked BYU-Hawaii.  The match-up saw the Urban Knights' record fall to 3-19, while the Vulcans moved to 10-7 overall.  

The Urban Knights started off the game strong, dominating what appeared to be a sluggish UH Hilo team in the first several minutes.  Freshman small forward Hunter Hayden grabbed two offensive boards in the first minute of play and finished the game with a staggering 14 rebounds.  However,  the momentum quickly shifted as AAU fell victim to turnovers and a strong shooting Hilo offense.  Hilo shot an impressive 50% from the field in the 2nd half and the Urban Knights were unable to match their effort.

Sophomore point guard Weleh Dennis shot 6-of-10 from the field and led the team in scoring with 15 total points. Freshman point guard Marqus Crawford had a strong showing despite the loss, finishing the game with 14 points and no turnovers.   

The Vulcans had four players post double-digits from the floor.  Senior Forward Jay DeMaestri led the Vulcans with 22 points and 9 boards.  

This marks the end of the Urban Knights road trip to Hawaii where they faced three Pac West Conference teams: Chaminade, BYU-Hawaii and UH Hilo.  Plagued by injuries and a shallow bench, the Urban Knights faced an uphill battle from the start, but they never wavered in their fight to give the Hawaii teams a run for their money. 

Next up for the AAU Urban Knights as they make the trip back to the mainland is another Pac West match-up versus Notre Dame de Namur on February 3rd in Belmont, CA at 7:30 PM.