SAN FRANCISCO – Forward Chris Salas started a senior year to remember with a career-high 27 points in the season opener for Academy of Art University men's basketball at San Francisco State on Friday night. Inside the Gators' Main Gymnasium, Salas and the Urban Knights worked their way back from SFSU's 26-8 run bridging the first and second halves and were within four points with nearly seven minutes to play, but SF State made one final push for the 84-69 win.

"I thought we played well in spurts," said head coach Julius Barnes. "The ball movement was great, guys were looking to make plays for one another, and we did a decent job communicating. The great thing is I believe we will continue to improve."

After freshman forward Luka Radovic converted the first basket of ART U's 2016-17 season, the teams found themselves knotted up at 7-7 and 9-9 before a 5-0 run by the Gators. That was soon erased on five quick points by Salas and later a fastbreak layup by junior guard Uchenna Okeneme gave the Knights a 19-16 lead. From a 23-23 tie, SF State closed the half on a 20-8 run despite freshman guard Dante Williams' layup in the waning seconds of the half.

Up 43-31 at halftime, the Gators put in a pair of 3-pointers early in the second period, pushing their run until senior guard Herman Pratt IV knocked down a triple of his own. Down the stretch, Salas and Williams worked in tandem keep the lead from going beyond 18 points and a pair of 3-pointers by Pratt capped a 12-2 ART U surge to bring the Knights within seven at 62-55 with 10 minutes and 25 seconds left.

Williams steadily attacked the basket, getting to the free throw line where he finished a perfect 10-for-10. Salas then added to what had become his highest scoring output for Academy of Art with a tip-in to cut the margin to 67-63 with 6:51 left. From there, however, SF State finished the game on a 17-6 run, getting into the paint for layups or conversions at the foul line. The end result was an 84-69 win for the Gators on opening night.

Academy of Art begins the year 0-1 despite the career-high from Salas which improved upon his previous best (20 points versus Dominican) by seven. Along with the 27 points (10-for-22 from the field), 10 rebounds gave the senior his second career double-double.

"Chris put forth a tremendous effort tonight," said Barnes. "His versatility and willingness to play out of position are invaluable. He does a great job of leading and we look forward to a great senior campaign from him."

Williams added 16 points off the bench with a 10-for-10 night from the foul line making him just the eighth Urban Knight ever to convert 10 free throws in a single game. Pratt added nine points, Radovic had eight, and junior guard Victor Nwaba stuffed the stat sheet with five points, four rebounds, three steals, and three assists in 22 minutes.

SF State, 1-0 to start, was led by Coley Apsay's 19 points along with 18 points from Warren Jackson.

ART U will return to SF State's Main Gymnasium for their second day of the Tipoff Classic tomorrow. The opening tip is slated for 5 p.m.

"Our primary focus heading into tomorrow will be defense," said Barnes. "In order for us to win games, we can't allow teams to score 80 points. If we can do a better job of stringing together stops, combined with minimizing our turnovers, I think we will put ourselves in decent position."