Box Score

Azusa, CA -- This year's version of the Academy of Art University men's basketball team continues to show it's versatility, and is reaping the rewards as a result. The Urban Knights have shown that they can win with defense, stifling opponents on their most recent homestand, and on Monday night in the Felix Event Center they showed that they can hit the ground running if need be, setting a program record for scoring in a closely-fought 97-92 contest against Azusa Pacific.

"I thought we did a great job of bouncing back after Saturday night," said head coach Julius Barnes. "Although we gave up more points than we would have liked to, the guys did a great job of sticking together down the stretch.  We made some key defensive stops and were able to knock down free throws when they mattered most."

The Urban Knights (7-11, 5-6 PWC) fell behind in the early going but eventually tied the game for the first time when Ameer Shamsud-din made a jumper to make it 15-15 with 13:33 on the clock. That was part of a 9-0 run that was capped off by a 3-pointer from Bryan Fisher that gave the Knights a 20-15 lead and forced an APU timeout. The game teetered back and forth for the remainder of the first half, seeing five more ties as Azusa Pacific (8-10, 5-5 PWC) finished the half on an 11-2 run for a 41-38 halftime lead.

Going into the second half, Academy of Art went to work getting rid of that deficit. Fisher made a layup and then a triple to put the Urban Knights up 49-47 with 17:19 left, but the Cougars just wouldn't go away. After a pair of free-throws by Aaron Aikman to make it 54-53 at 15:21 in the second half, ART U held the lead for the remainder of the contest, staving off the Cougars and answering every run the home team tried to put together.

Never quite able to pull away, the Knights used timely buckets of their own and clutch free-throw shooting to preserve the victory. More free throws, this time from Ivan "B.J." Prema, Jr.  made it 70-64 with 9:39 on the clock. But the Cougars cut it down to one minutes later when Troy Leaf got a layup to make it 70-69. Alex Carmon was fouled behind the arc and proceeded to sink all three free throws, but the same player that set up the foul, B.J. Porter, made a three at the other end to make it a one-point margin.

Shamsud-din had the answer for the Urban Knights at that point, making a 3-pointer to put the Knights up by four again with 6:31 to go. The lead grew to as big as nine points when Carmon split free throws and followed up with a layup before Fisher hit another three to make it 84-75, but then Azusa Pacific roared back, and after a trey from Leaf were within a bucket at 87-85 with 1:05 to play.

However, when it came to the foul game, Academy of Art prevailed, as Shamsud-din, Carmon, Fisher, and Carmon again went to the line and made ten straight free-throws to seal the game. During that frantic final minute, the Urban Knights had a scare when Porter hit an off-balance three with 15 ticks left on the clock to make it a three-point game. Carmon sunk both of the free-throws at the other end, but then Rodrigo Maza was whistled for fouling Leaf on a shot from beyond the arc, setting up a remote possibility of a game-tying opportunity. Leaf missed the first free-throw before making the other two, making it a virtual impossibility, and the Knights pulled off their second road win of the three-game trip.

The Urban Knights were aggressive all game, and after hanging tough with the rebounders of California Baptist on Saturday, they owned the post on Monday night, pulling down 35 rebounds to APU's 28. They also outdid the Cougars in points off turnovers, scoring 12 points off of 11 takeaways, and 13 second-chance points. ART U added a 60.7% mark from the field in the second half to finish shooting at a 53.2% clip, while dishing out 17 assists on 33 field goals.

"We are definitely a more effective team when we're attacking the basket aggressively and intelligently," said Barnes. "When teams are forced to back off a little, it allows for better looks on the perimeter.  I think we did a great job of penetrating and finding the open man when the defense collapsed."

Carmon had 18 second-half points and finished with a team-high 25 points, including a 14-of-15 night from the free-throw line. It marked his second straight game with at least 20 points and at least 10 from the charity stripe. Shamsud-din had 24 points, five rebounds, and three assists while playing the entire game, while Fisher (15 points, 6 rebounds) and Maza (12 points, 6 rebounds) also hit double figures on the night. Leaf had a game-high 31 points for the Cougars, while Porter added 24 points in a losing effort.

"It feels great to come away from such a tough game with the win," said Barnes. "APU kept it close with some clutch shots in the closing moments.  Fortunately for us, the guys stepped up to the line and knocked down their free throws."

After Monday's victory, Academy of Art is holding fast in the sixth and final playoff spot in the conference. The Urban Knights return home to face first-place Dixie State on February 9.