SAN RAFAEL, Calif. – Squaring up with #6 seed Westmont in the Quarterfinal round of the Pacific West Conference Tournament, #3 seed Academy of Art men's basketball eventually took off in the second half to create their 85-69 triumph to move on to the Semifinals tomorrow.

"I am really proud of how hard we played tonight," said ART U Head Coach Scott Waterman. "Defensively, the last 16 minutes we played as well as we had all year as we went on a 21-0 run because we got stops. It was a team win as so many guys stepped up and made plays. However, we have to move on to our Semifinal against a good Biola team."

In the first half, a seven-point differential was the largest the game would see for the first 20 minutes as Westmont attempted to build a healthy lead before the break, but a 5-0 run in the final 30 seconds from the Urban Knights would help keep the deficit at just two with the score settled at 43-41. Four members of ART U, senior guard Rodney Munson, senior forward Isaiah Williams, redshirt junior guard Donovan Vickers, and senior forward Quintin Metcalf, scored eight or more points in the opening frame while a pair of others in junior forward Bryce Moore and junior forward Robbie Armbrester contributed to the all-around team defensive effort.

The first eight minutes of the second half saw the score be knotted up for the Knights and Warriors, but after the second media timeout it was all ART U as they found an offensive rhythm to storm away from their opponent. Five straight points from Armbrester built the advantage up to double-digits right before the midway point of the closing frame, and a display of team basketball followed thereafter from the Knights from the core offensive quartet to put the contest out of arm's length. ART U managed to build their lead up to as many as 20 points before closing the game out with its 85-69 final score. 

Leading the Knights in scoring was Munson who finished with 20 points on 8-for-16 shooting from the field, while Williams and Vickers each contributed 18 points while combining for 10 made 3-pointers, with senior forward Quintin Metcalf following it up with 15 of his own plus 11 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season. Six Knights finished the game with two steals or more, while the team additionally totaled six blocks.

ART U will be back at it tomorrow to compete in the Semifinal game against #2 seed Biola, tipping off at 5 p.m.