SAN FRANCISCO – Amidst a raucous crowd, Academy of Art men's basketball's 2016-17 home opener did not disappoint. The Urban Knights (2-6, 1-1 PacWest) were the victors in a tight, back-and-forth contest against BYU-Hawaii (3-5, 1-1 PacWest) that featured a career-high 30 points from senior guard Chris Salas.
 
The first half saw a strong ART U contingency right out of the gate. The Knights never trailed by more than seven points and shot nearly .500 from the field (.481). Strong defense was also at play as both sides were knotted at nine points each after six minutes had expired. Although the Seasiders led for the remainder of the half, Academy of Art never slipped out of striking range. In fact, the Urban Knights almost completely erased their 7-point deficit with five minutes remaining and ended the half trailing 35-34.
 

The second period began just as tightly as the first half ended. After a pair of lead changes, both teams found themselves tied 45-45 at the first media timeout. After the break, the game's offensive tempo came to a halt as neither side could find the bucket for the next two and a half minutes. A free throw BYU-Hawaii's Caleb Roney finally broke the scoreless streak, but it opened the gates for the Seasiders who went on an 11-1 run to give ART U a 10-point deficit.
 
The game quickly reversed its course when junior guard Kendall Brown drained a 3-pointer with 9:27 remaining in the contest. From there, the Urban Knights went on a 14-1 run to recapture the lead and return the momentum squarely to their side of the court. The streak was highlighted by an 8-point tear from Salas who went 3-for-3 during that time including a rebound and an assist. From that point forward, Academy of Art never relinquished their lead and took their biggest advantage (11 points) with 35 seconds on the clock.
 
Salas' role in the late Urban Knights run was part of a 21-point second half for the Advertising major who closed out the evening with 30 points and eight rebounds. Monday night was second time this season that Salas has posted a career-high point total. The Yorba Linda, Calif. native posted a 27-point affair in the season's opening contest against SF State on November 11. Brown also had a big impact against BYU-Hawaii, scoring double-digit points for the second-consecutive game (13) and finishing as ART U's second-highest scorer and top bench player.
 
With their PacWest record now even at 1-1, the Urban Knights will look to get above the .500 mark when they head to Holy Names on Sunday, December 11 at 7:30 p.m.