Box Score

ST. GEORGE, Utah — The party ended early Wednesday for the Academy of Art University men's basketball team, as host Dixie State pulled away in the second half for a 93-70 Pacific West Conference win on New Year's Eve at Burns Arena.
 
Four players scored in double digits for ART U (3-7, 1-3 PacWest), including senior guard Alexis Moore who had a team-high 17 points and eight rebounds. Five players scored in double figures for Dixie State (7-4, 4-1 PacWest), led by Zach Robbins who had a double-double with 23 points and 12 boards.
 
The teams combined for 163 points on 54 made field goals, making it the Urban Knights' third-highest scoring affair this season and third straight where they joined their opponent to score at least 150 points.
 
The Knights were right in the thick of it in the first half and even held the lead for more than 5 1/2 minutes of that opening stanza, but the team went cold towards the end of the first half and the shooting woes continued into the second, allowing the Red Storm to get the home victory.
 
ART U's biggest lead of the afternoon came eight minutes into the game when a layup by junior center Trent Stokes made it 19-14. That was in the midst of a 4:48 stretch in which ART U and Dixie State went back and forth, combining to score 28 points on 11-for-16 shooting including three 3-pointers.
 
Academy of Art pulled to within two at 38-36 with 3 1/2 minutes left before halftime thanks to junior forward Nick Cary's third 3-pointer, but Dixie State would close the opening frame on a 9-2 run to take a 47-38 lead into the break. ART U went cold during those final minutes, shooting 1-for-8 from the floor. Meanwhile, Dixie State was a perfect 2-for-2 in field goals and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line.
 
Cary would finish with 13 points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals. Stokes had 10 points for his third straight double-digit scoring performance. Sophomore guard Herman Pratt also had his third consecutive double-figure showing with 12 points to go along with four boards and three assists.
 
Dixie State's run stretched into the second half when it scored nine straight points out of halftime to give itself an 18-point, 56-38 lead. Moore's 3-pointer at the 14:11 mark gave the Urban Knights their first field goal in 5:50, but the damage had been done.
 
ART U would shoot 27.8 percent in the second half after shooting 42.9 percent in the first. The Knights were shooting 51.9 percent in the game before their 1-for-8 stretch to end the opening stanza. Dixie State shot 50 percent or better in both halves and finished the game with a 51.8 clip.
 
Academy of Art returns home to kick off 2015 at Kezar Pavilion at 3 p.m. Saturday versus Dominican University of California.