HILO, Hawaii – Academy of Art was firing on all cylinders in Friday night's contest against UH Hilo: ART U played unselfish basketball throughout and never relinquished the lead. Eventually, their dominant performance handed the Vulcans their first home PacWest loss of the season, a 74-64 Urban Knights triumph.
 
Academy of Art got off to a quick start in the first half, getting out to an early lead after scoring the game's first six points. In fact, ART U went on a 12-2 run to begin the period while holding the Vulcans to just one field goal in the first six minutes (1-for-10). The Knights' offense was efficient during that stretch as well, shooting 66.7 percent from the field (6-for-9). However, UH Hilo responded with a 10-4 run to pull within seven points (20-13) at the 10:51 mark, but Academy of Art hit two consecutive field goals to reestablish an 11-point lead. The Vulcans continued to chip away at the deficit and pulled within two points (26-24) after going on a 7-point run. Nonetheless, it did not take long for ART U to respond, as junior guard Cobe Williams recorded two straight triples to build a cushion. Both sides continued the back-and-forth battle until the end of the period when UH Hilo managed to tie the contest at 40 points apiece with exactly 35 seconds to play. However, on the final possession, junior guard Cole Morgan was fouled on his way to the basket and his two made-free throws gave the Urban Knights a 2-point, 42-40 lead as they headed to the locker room.
 
Junior guard Kiel Long set the tone for the final 20 minutes when he began the second half with a splash, burying a 3-pointer from beyond the arc. His triple was part of an effort which gave ART U a 12-point lead which included 10-consecutive Urban Knights points. The run was highlighted by a pair of 3-pointers from senior guard Kendall Brown and junior guard Zuri Williams.
 
After the Knights created a 12-point margin for themselves, the Vulcans managed to rattle off eight consecutive points of their own to make it a 4-point, 55-51 game with 10:21 on the clock. UH Hilo continued to play ART U close over the next six minutes and even trimmed their deficit to three points (62-59) with 4:41 to play. However, a pair of free throws and a triple from Z. Williams put ART U back out in front by eight points. From there, the Urban Knights continued to stay at least two possessions out in front of the Vulcans and they eventually held on for a 74-64 victory.
 
"Having watched film, we knew UH Hilo was a very capable team," said head coach Julius Barnes. "We understood that in order to for us to have a chance to win, we needed to play stellar defense, win the battle on the boards and execute on the offensive end. The guys did a tremendous job of sticking to the game plan and we're excited to end the road trip with a win."
 
Brown led all ART U scorers with 17 points after compiling 12 in the second half alone. Two other Knights finished with double digit point totals including junior center Cameron Niven who nearly recorded a double-double with 12 points (6-for-12) and seven rebounds. Z. Williams also scored 12 points on the night which included 10 in the second half. The Walnut, Calif. native also amassed four rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Long also found himself amongst the stat leaders on Friday night, accumulating career-highs in both rebounds (12) and steals (3).
 
With the win, the Urban Knights are now 5-9 overall and 4-4 in the PacWest. Academy of Art will now return home for a four-game homestand beginning on January 10 against Dominican at 7:30 p.m.
 
"Every win gives us a tremendous boost of confidence," said Barnes. "To leave the island with a split is no easy feat. We're all excited to get home for a four-game homestand and play in a familiar setting. We'll continue to focus on doing what we can to improve both individually and collectively in hopes of achieving our goals."