Box Score

Hayward, CA – Welcome to Academy of Art University, Keith Davis.

Tuesday night at Pioneer Gym, the Urban Knight men's basketball team fell to Cal State East Bay 68-65 in overtime despite strong performances from new faces. In his first official game with ART U, junior forward Keith Davis heated up for 25 points including 3-for-3 from long range and 8-for-8 from the free throw line. The Urban Knight bench, led by freshman forward William Overton, Jr., also played a major role, outscoring CSUEB 30-14.

“Keith got rolling,” Head Coach Mark Sembrowich said. “With his 25 points, he gave us a huge lift and we needed every one of those points. He will be a good player for us.”

The Academy of Art seniors got it going early as forward Jonathan Burnett converted the first shot of the game and guard Devin Williams added a block and a steal in the first two minutes. Williams, who set the defensive tone early, would go on to rack up three blocks in the first half after having just six last year. Midway through the opening period, senior guard Lance Olivier came off the bench to swing the momentum in ART U's favor. He scored five consecutive points in less than a minute to give the Knights a 9-8 lead.

The Pioneers then put together a three-point margin, but freshman guard Czar Robotham quickly brought Academy of Art back with a layup. East Bay again fashioned a lead, 25-17, but a big 3-pointer from Davis responded to keep the Knights close. With under two minutes to play in the half, Overton, Jr. made the freshman connection to find Robotham for a trey, adding to the superb bench play for ART U. CSUEB, however, continued to push the issue and took a 33-25 advantage into the halftime locker room.

With the team down by 10 points early in the second half, Davis sprung into action on a fastbreak layup followed by a jumper. The Knights had now cut the Pioneer advantage down to six still with plenty of time to mount a comeback. Olivier then provided more energy off the bench much like in the first half.  His pair of layups rallied Academy of Art and he soon found Davis for 3-pointer, making the score 44-38 and East Bay's lead look precarious.

"Lance gave us a great spark off the bench,” Coach Sembrowich said. “He was quick and hard to handle."

It was the freshmen making the difference midway through the second period during a 10-3 Urban Knight surge. A long ball from Robotham and a layup by Overton, Jr. brought ART U to within two points with 10:31 remaining. The Knights proceeded to close in on the Pioneers after a trey by Davis tied the game, 55-55. The 3-pointer ignited a 7-0 run by Davis alone to give Academy of Art a four-point lead with less than two minutes to go. As the seconds ticked away, CSUEB forward Will Freedman and guard Mark Samuels both managed clutch shots to send the game into overtime tied 61-61.

In the overtime period, East Bay's Samuels went to work, but so did ART U's Overton, Jr.. The pair accounted for all of their team's respective points as Overton, Jr. converted at the foul line and knocked down a jumper with just under two minutes left. After the scoreboard showed the teams tied 65-65, Samuels managed to get to the foul line where he put in 3-of-4 down the stretch.

Academy of Art had two chances to tie the ballgame in the waning moments. With 17 seconds on the clock, Overton, Jr. attempted a three, but it would not fall. Then, in an unexpected turn of events, Samuels turned the ball over to ART U, enabling Robotham to get off a long ball as the final buzzer sounded. Unfortunately for the Knights, the shot did not go down and East Bay took the 68-65 victory.

Davis was simply scorching for the Urban Knights in the season opener. He became the third ART U player ever to score 25 or more points and did so in a variety of ways. Davis was a perfect 8-for-8 from the foul line and knocked down all three of his shots from distance. Off the bench, Overton, Jr. added 11 points including four in the overtime period with his five rebounds. Olivier contributed nine of ART U's 30 bench points along with four assists. Junior center Hunter Hayden pulled down a team-high eight rebounds and Williams provided a crucial hustle element Tuesday night with three blocks, three steals, and five rebounds.

East Bay had four players score in double figures led by Samuels' 20 points. Samuels added eight rebounds and four assists. Behind the Pioneers' top scorer, guard Roshun Wynne posted a double-double in the form of 14 points and 10 rebounds. Finally, Freedman also added 14 points as he and Wynne combined for four 3-pointers made.

With the season's wild first game behind them, the Urban Knights turn their attention to another CCAA school in UC San Diego this Sunday. ART U travels south to face the Tritons on Nov. 21 for a 1:00 PM tipoff at RIMAC Arena.