HILO, Hawaii – The battle between the top two teams of the Pacific West Conference in Academy of Art men's basketball and UH Hilo lived up to the hype, coming down to the final minute when a last-second 3-pointer by ART U would fall just short, as the Vulcans escaped with a 75-72 win on their home court. 

As has been the case often this season, the Urban Knights (9-6, 5-2 PacWest) were in control of the game throughout most of the first half, ultimately building a 10-point lead with just over six minutes left in the first frame. That would be the moment that the Vulcans (9-4, 5-1 PacWest) would begin to turn it around, quickly erasing the double-digit deficit with a large run to end the period and carry a 36-25 led into the half. 

It would remain a three-possession lead for Hilo throughout the beginning of the second frame, that was until the Knights began to find their touch from beyond the arc, hitting an attempt from deep on three of four consecutive possessions. That would give ART U a slight one-point edge, but it was eventually built to seven points with another pair of consecutive 3-pointers, this time from junior guards Christian Popoola Jr. and Klay Brown. 

Nearly as quickly as it had been built, Hilo came storming back before eventually taking the lead on a go-ahead, and-one layup from Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones with just under a minute to play. While the Knights were fouled on their subsequent possession, they were only able to hit one of the two attempts from the line, which left the door open for the Vulcans to ice the game from the stripe and steal a win on their home court. The win by UH Hilo now evens the all-time series at 9-9, while also snapping ART U's three-game winning streak over the Vulcans. 

Depth was once again on display for ART U with four players finishing in double-digit scoring, with graduate student guards Joshua Bagley and Denny Slay leading the way with 12 points apiece. Bagley would also produce a team-high six assists while Slay chipped in three of his own to go with a trio of steals, also a team best on the night. Recording his fifth double-double of the season was Latrell Williams as he paired 11 points with a team-high 12 boards, while Popoola Jr. ended the night with 11 points and three assists. 

A quick turnaround awaits ART U, as the Knights will hop islands and prepare to bounce back in a PacWest clash with Hawaii Pacific this Saturday at 3 p.m. HST.