HILO, Hawaii- The Urban Knights (4-10, 2-6 PacWest) got off to a slow start in Hawaii on Thursday, but a second-half surge brought them within three points, falling 72-69 to UH Hilo (2-9, 2-5 PacWest).
 
ART U waited four and a half minutes to land their first points of the contest, but were able to keep within striking distance, exiting the half only trailing by 11 points (25-36).
 
When the second half began, the Urban Knights were still looking to find their stride. With 10:33 remaining, Academy of Art trailed 37-47 when redshirt junior guard Herman Pratt IV found junior guard Marshawn McMahan for his second triple of the game. McMahan would go on to score six more points to close out a career-high 19-point effort.
 
The Urban Knights continued to inch their way back into the game. With 39 seconds remaining, redshirt junior forward Tyler Sabino, who also posted a career-high point total (13), put up a timely layup to make the score 69-70 in favor of the Vulcans. UH Hilo would get the ball back however, and make it a three-point game with a basket on their end of the court. As time was expiring, Pratt made an attempt at a 3-pointer which would have sent the game to overtime, but it just missed, giving the Vulcans the victory.
 
ART U's defense was on display Thursday evening, winning the rebounding war 47-40 and compiling five steals over UH Hilo's two. Head coach Julius Barnes said this of his team's defense:
 
"Our defense improved as the game went on and so did our rebounding. As a result, we were able to get more shot attempts."
 
Along with their career-high point totals, Sabino and McMahan were also able to rebound three and five shots respectively.
 
Barnes said this of some of the evening's top performers:
 
"[Sabino] and [McMahan] continue to improve. I believe that their respective performances will give them the confidence needed to go out and make plays that will help us win games."
 
Junior guard Chris Salas also had an impactful game, scoring 16 points and rebounding seven.
 
On Saturday, January 16, the Urban Knights will head to Honolulu for a rematch of Jan 9th's contest against Hawaii Pacific. Tipoff is 3 p.m. HT following women's basketball.