BELMONT, Calif. – Two evenly-played halves were no comparison to the dramatic finish to which the fans inside of Walter Gleason Gym would bare witness. A dominant second half from Academy of Art (6-14, 5-9 PacWest) ended a three-game, road winless streak and cemented a 61-59 victory for the Urban Knights.
 
The first half was an epic battle in itself. Both sides played evenly, but the Argonauts (4-17, 2-13 PacWest) held a slight edge for the majority of the period, leading by as much as five points (18-13) with 10:29 to play. However, ART U battled back to tie the contest at 24 points apiece and even took a 26-25 lead with just over two minutes to play. NDNU would go ahead once again however, eventually making it 30-28. With 0.3 seconds on the clock, senior guard Herman Pratt IV was given the opportunity to tie things up with a pair of free throws. However, just one of his attempts would find its mark and Academy of Art headed to the locker room trailing by one point, 30-29.
 
After seeing the lead switch sides nine times in the opening period, the Urban Knights looked to pull ahead for good. To open the half, the Knights put up the first four points, giving them a 33-30 lead, their biggest to that point in the evening. ART U later extended their advantage to eight, 42-34 at the 13:20 mark thanks to junior guard Kendall Brown's third triple of the night. Still putting up a fight, the relentless Argos would pull within three points with 8:39 to play, but ART U was quick to respond, scoring two consecutive baskets and eventually stretched their lead to 12 with 5:02 on the clock. Nonetheless, the Argos continued to claw their way back into the game and, in a late run, tied the contest 59-59 with six seconds remaining. In the next four seconds, Pratt flew down the court and into the paint, floating a layup over two defenders which rattled around before finally finding the bottom of the net with just two seconds to play. A desperation heave by the Argos was in vane as it fell 15 feet shy of the target, giving Academy of Art the victory.

"During our last defensive possession, I honestly thought the ball may have gone out of bounds," said head coach Julius Barnes. "Needless to say, NDNU got the bounce and Peacock nailed a clutch shot. After the shot went in, I didn't want to call a timeout as I thought it would be better if we allowed our guards to attack and make a play. Herman was able to do just that and we are pleased with the outcome."
 
As a team, the Urban Knights finished the night shooting 45.3 percent from the field and three players scored double digit point totals. Brown led the team with 13 points off of the bench (5-for-12) including going 3-for-7 from beyond the 3-point arc. The Corona, Calif. native also contributed two rebounds, two assists, and a steal.

"It was great to have Kendall on the floor tonight. I thought he did a great job of picking his spots and not forcing the action," said Barnes. "He got going early and was able to knock down some big shots at pivotal points in the game. Having him back adds another dimension to what we can do offensively."

Junior guard Uchenna Okeneme contributed 11 points (5-for-7), two rebounds, two assists, and two steals, while Pratt scored 10 points (3-for-6) while rebounding five shots and made five steals.

Now 5-9 in conference with six games remaining, Academy of Art will vie for one of the last remaining spots to compete in the PacWest Conference Championships in Irvine. For now, the team will head to Hawaii to face Chaminade, Hawaii Pacific, and BYU-Hawaii. 

"I thought our focus on the defensive end was very good," said Barnes. "We were active, had great ball pressure and our communication was much better tonight. Offensively, we attacked in transition when opportunities presented themselves and showed some patience when running our half-court sets. Lastly, our efforts on the boards were tremendous. To be able to secure twelve offensive rebounds and have second and third opportunities were a big reason why we were able to come  out on top."