HAYWARD, Calif. – A dominant second half helped Academy of Art men's basketball stay undefeated in the young 2022-23 campaign, turning what was a five-point halftime deficit into their largest margin of victory this season thanks to 49 points in the final frame as ART U secured a commanding 85-67 win over Cal State East Bay on Wednesday. 

"Tonight after a slow first half, we took a step towards playing true team basketball in the second half," said ART U Head Coach Scott Waterman. "Our pressure wore a good East Bay team down in the second half and capitalized on the offensive. It is exciting to continue to see our team come together and improve."

Buckets went back-and-forth through most of the first half, with the two teams still knotted at 32-32 with just under five to play in the first frame. Making a 9-4 run to take the slight edge into the half were the Pioneers (1-2), as their 56.0 percent (14-for-25) shooting from the field through the first 20 minutes helped them end play with a 41-36 lead. 

Courses changed in the second frame with the help of the 3-pointer, as a long ball from Urban Knights' (3-0) senior forward Mike Asante helped narrow the gap before junior forward Latrell Williams connected from downtown on consecutive possessions. Not only did that reset the score at 48-48, it kickstarted a 17-2 Urban Knights run that forced the Pioneers into a timeout.

Unfortunately for CSUEB the regroup did not work, as Academy of Art continued on a 6-2 run after the break with much of the damage coming from the free throw line. After getting only six attempts from the charity stripe in the first half (and going 6-for-6), ART U was able to earn their way to the line more often in the second, finishing the frame 18-for-23 (78.3 percent).

Hot shooting for the Knights continued through the end of the game, as their 49-point second period (the highest-scoring ART U half this season) came on the strength of going 13-for-23 (56.5 percent) from the floor. Eventually the lead swelled to double-digits, and ultimately Academy of Art posted an 18-point victory to move to 3-0 for the first time in program history. Additionally, this was ART U's second straight win over the Pioneers, walking away victorious in the first meeting between the two teams since November 2019. 

For the third time in as many games, senior guard Klay Brown turned in a 20-point performance to lead the game in scoring, going 5-for-10 (50.0 percent) from the floor and 2-for-4 (50.0 percent) from beyond the arc. He was one of just five Urban Knights to reach double figures, followed by 13 from graduate student guard Will Balata, 12 from Williams, 11 from Asante, and 10 from sophomore forward Jamal Fuller. Thanks to their second half performance, the Knights ended the clash by hitting nearly half of their looks from the floor (26-for-53, 49.1 percent), their highest shooting percentage of the campaign. 

Balata was a two-way threat for ART U in the game, working the glass to the tune of a team-high seven rebounds, while Brown tallied half of the 12 Academy of Art assists on the night to set his new season-high in helpers with six. Though the Knights did not generate as many steals as their first two contests, they did swipe the ball eight times from CSUEB with three of those belonging to Brown, who has snagged three steals in all three games this year. 

"We will enjoy this win and the accomplishment of being 3-0 for the first time in school history, and begin to prepare for a very good Chico State team who is one of the top teams in the region," Waterman said. 

The battle with Chico State, a rematch from last year's NCAA DII West Region Quarterfinal, will take place this Saturday at 4 p.m. from Walter Gleason Gym.