Box Score
Photo Gallery (images by Rico Del Sesto)

Las Vegas, NV - The Academy of Art University men's basketball team headed into Orleans Arena only a short walk from the Las Vegas strip, but a win wasn't in the cards as a Montana State-Billings team used a second half push to get past the Urban Knights on Wednesday afternoon. ART U led by a bucket at halftime and got another double-double from Alexis Moore, but were outscored in the second half and fell to the Yellow Jackets 85-69. 

"We played a decent first half and we were aggressive on both ends of the floor It is what I expect each time we step on the court," said head coach Julius Barnes. "However, Billings came out in the second half and executed. We didn't rotate to their shooters and they knocked down shots."

The game started out at a breakneck pace, as the Jackets won the tip and promptly drove down the court for a layup. They came in out with pressure in the backcourt on the first Academy of Art possession but were a little too aggressive, fouling on the inbound and starting a trend that saw the Urban Knights exploit that aggression and put Billings in foul trouble early on in the first half.

It was a back and forth battle, with the Jackets pushing the lead to five at 21-16 with under 10 minutes to play, but the Urban Knights came back to tie at 24-24 on a layup by Rodrigo Maza. It was Maza again who broke a later tie with a minute to play, as he put the Knights up 36-32 with back-to-back shots, and ART U went into the locker room up by a bucket. 

Out of the break, Montana State wasted no time, taking only eight seconds to again score on the opening possession. After another tie at 39-39, the Knights found themselves on the wrong side of an 11-1 run that made it 50-40 with 14:40 to play. ART U battle their way back to cut the lead to single digits a couple different times, but Billings was able to keep them at arm's length, making it a 15-point game on a three-pointer from Connor Donaldson at the eight-minute mark and a 16-point margin on a layup from Austin Hudson with 5:05 on the clock. The Jackets were able to get inside more in the sceond half, scoring 18 points in the closing period to put the game away at 85-69.

"We have to improve on our rotations and do a better job of making free throws," said Barnes. We can't dwell on today. Dominguez Hills will provide another test and we will need to be prepared to play come tomorrow."

The Knights were led by Moore, who had 20 points and 10 rebounds. Rodrigo Maza added 14 points while Aaron Anderson had 12 points and seven rebounds for ART U. Five players scored in double-figures for MSUB, led by Jonathan Mesghan with 18 points. The Urban Knights will finish the tournament tomorrow against Cal State Dominguez Hills.