Box Score
Photo Gallery (images by Rob Garcia)
Honolulu, HI -- Only hours after the Academy of Art women's basketball team made history, the ART U men's basketball team notched a historic win of their own, defeating a PacWest Hawaiian opponent on the road for the first time since the program's inception in 2008. The Urban Knights put together at one of their best team efforts of the season to defeat the Sea Warriors of Hawaii Pacific University 76-68.
“We've been able to get leads in the second half previously and, in this game, we did a very good job of managing the clock, continuing to execute on offense, and we really dug in on some possessions defensively,” head coach Mark Sembrowich said. “I thought it really paid off for us. I thought our guys really stepped up and played well.”
The Knights had four players pitching in double-digit efforts, and eight different players pitching in at least a bucket in the victory. Ameer Shamsud-din led the way with 18 points, William Overton, Jr. had 16 points and seven rebounds while Czar Robotham picked up 11 points including a clutch 3-pointer to beat the shot clock buzzer and fend off a late HPU comeback. He also dealt out eight assists in the victory.
“Czar played a super game; he managed the team very well on the floor, he got everybody involved, and when [HPU] mixed up some defenses, he did a very good job recognizing that,” Coach Sembrowich said. “And towards the end of that shot clock, with that big three from out on top, [Czar's basket] was just very timely and very needed. I couldn't have been happier for him.”
Ivan "B.J." Prema, Jr. had 13 points, two assists, and two steals, including nine first-half points, and freshman Aaron Anderson added 11 points, three assists, and five rebounds. Anderson also had two steals in what seemed to be a trend for the Urban Knights, who racked up 10 steals to only nine turnovers on the night. Senior Hunter Hayden contributed six rebounds off the bench.
“I think that kind of balanced scoring contributes to a win and we've been close again in that,” Coach Sembrowich said. “We've been knocking on that door and it was really good to see BJ step up in this one. I thought he played one of his best games of the season. It wasn't even just the points; it was his overall energy, his defense, and his willingness to hustle.”
Academy of Art battled back to go into the locker room at the half only down one with the score 33-32 in favor of Hawaii Pacific. But, as they have all road trip, ART U came out of the half red-hot going on a 20-10 run to put them ahead midway through the second period.
“We have some athleticism to be able to get out and run in transition if we create some opportunities that way and the other thing is that we were able to execute when we didn't have those opportunities in this game so the combination of those two really did well,” Coach Sembrowich said.
Unlike the past couple games, however, the Knights were able to sustain a healthy advantage for a majority of the second half, leading by as many as nine and never letting Hawaii Pacific get closer than four points the rest of the way.
“We have been really close on those kinds of things in previous contests, but we were able to finish it off and, in this game, we really did a good job of staying within ourselves,” Coach Sembrowich said. “The guys maintained their poise defensively. I think [Hawaii Pacific] got a few offensive rebounds and some extra opportunities, but we really dug in defensively and did a good job getting some stops.”
Things did get a little dicey as the Sea Warriors pulled to within two possessions, using a Kyle Allen layup to make it 72-68, but Robotham nailed a crucial three with 47 seconds left -- his only one of the game -- to seal the deal. HPU was led by Fran Urli, who had 21 points, but only six rebounds, and Allen (14 points) was the only other Sea Warriors to score in double figures.
For the Knights, it was a welcome win at the end of a long road trip that saw a couple close games slip through their fingers. They will head back to San Francisco and prepare to face these same four island schools again as they venture to the mainland, with the first game against Chaminade being held at Kezar Pavilion on Saturday, January 21st.
“This was our first conference win on the road and our first win in Hawaii,” Coach Sembrowich said. “We've been so close in so many instances, I'm just proud of the guys for continuing to stay with it. It would have been real easy in this situation to say, 'Oh well, let's go home.' But instead we finished strong and that really impressed and pleased me at the same time.”
