Knights Solid Effort Overshadowed by SFSU's Stellar Shooting

Chico, CA -- The Urban Knights did a lot of things right in their season opener against San Francisco State, but sometimes even the most solid performances by a team can be overshadowed by an outstanding showing by the other team. That was the case on Saturday, as Academy of Art fell 93-61 to the Gators who put up an absurd 76.2% shooting percentage from three-point range and a 59.0% mark overall from the field.

The Knights were about even in rebounds (30 to 35) and in turnovers (18 to 16), and made an impressive improvement in the foul department, only fouling 13 times to the Gators 29. ART U made almost half of their points from the line, making it to the charity stripe 34 total times and completing 28 of those shots, good for a 82.4% night.

Academy of Art's ability to get to the line kept them in the game, and it showed in the box score, with many players shooting at a high percentage from the line. William Overton, Jr. put up 20 points and six rebounds for the Urban Knights, and was a perfect 8-8 from the line. Hunter Hayden had 11 points, and was also perfect, making all 9 of his free throws. Ameer Shamsud-din also made 9 of 12 from the stripe, and scored 15 points along with his 5 rebounds.

But when a team makes 16 three-pointers, even your best efforts can come up short. The Gators had three players in double figures, including a career performance from junior Thomas Nesbitt, who put up 22 points in only 17 minutes, shooting 7-8 from the field, 6-7 from three point range. Nefi Perdomo shot 7-10 for the night, including 6-6 from beyond the arc for 20 points.

The Urban Knights looked poised to break out at the beginning of the game, and a layup by Czar Robotham gave them an early 10-6 lead. Shamsud-din scored the first 8 points for ART U before Robotham's layup, but only scored seven for the rest of the game. The Gators took the lead at 11-10 and didn't trail for the rest of the game.

The Knights will have a chance to rebound tomorrow against host Chico State on Sunday at 2:30 PM, with live audio being found here.