BELMONT, Calif. – Looking to build momentum as they prepare for the Pacific West Conference Championships with a position already clinched, Academy of Art men's basketball did just that by looking strong in all areas of a convincing 73-54 win over Hawaii Pacific in PacWest action on Thursday. 

"Tonight was a total team effort," said ART U Head Coach Scott Waterman. "Being down a few guys, we had guys step up and make plays on both ends of the court. Our energy was great for the whole 40 minutes, and we now have to turn our attention to the big week ahead."

While the Urban Knights (15-10, 11-6 PacWest) tried to snatch control in the very early stages of the game, the Sharks (5-19, 2-15 PacWest) hung right with ART U as the two teams found themselves still tied through almost seven full minutes of action. Both sides would dial it up from long range, as graduate student guard Joshua Bagley kicked off a stretch where the two teams hit dueling 3-pointers, which was capped off by a pair of triples from sophomore guard Brian Rios to put the Knights up six. 

Soon after the lead would swell to double-digits, but both teams kept up the offense by hitting on over 40 percent of their shots, with Hawaii Pacific actually posting the better field goal percentage in the frame at 46.2 percent (12-for-26). The fast pace of the game would continue up until the break with ART U out in front by 11. 

While the Knights seemingly had momentum in hand, it was just a six-point ART U lead with 11:31 to go in regulation, but the Knights were able to find the finishing mentality by posting runs of 7-0 and 8-0 within a minute of each other to leap back in front by double-digits. That would be all the cushion Academy of Art would need, as they would then cruise to their fifth consecutive victory for the second time this campaign. This also marked the third straight win over the HPU, ART U's longest winning streak against the Sharks, as the Urban Knights have swept Hawaii Pacific in the regular season for the first time in history.

The second half was where Academy of Art brought out the active defense, collecting 12 steals in that period alone while not allowing any space for the HPU offense to operate, leading HPU to hit on only 25.0 percent (7-for-28) from the floor in the frame. Meanwhile, ART U was efficient at turning capitalizing on the giveaways from the Sharks, closing with a 24-5 edge in points off turnovers. Additionally, the Knights controlled the boards by snatching 43 rebounds to just the 36 of Hawaii Pacific, the fourth consecutive game that ART U has tallied 40 or more rebounds. 

Ball movement was also key on the night as ART U totaled 16 assists, their most since they logged 18 against Biola back on Jan. 27. It was a main factor in four Urban Knights scoring in double figures, with both Rios and sophomore forward Latrell Williams logging their season-high in points. Rios would match his 14-point total that he set earlier this season on Feb. 9 against Holy Names, most of which came on the strength of 4-for-7 (57.1 percent) from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Williams hit the 20-point mark for the first time in his ART U career, ending with the game-high which he paired with 10 boards (the third straight game of 10 rebounds) for his seventh double-double of the season.

Rounding out the quartet in double-digits was Bagley with 11 points, while junior guard Klay Brown chipped in 10 points. Also doing work on the boards was sophomore forward Cheickna Sissoko, who snatched a season-best 10 rebounds for the third time this season. 

The final week of conference action looms for Academy of Art, as they begin a grueling stretch where they face three of the top five teams in the PacWest as they continue to tune up for the PacWest Championships beginning with Azusa Pacific on Monday, Feb. 21 at 1 p.m.