Box Score

St. Paul, MN – The Urban Knights used historic first half defense and clutch baskets late to defeat Upper Iowa University in a dramatic 63-61 win Friday night. Inside Concordia University's Gangelhoff Center to begin the 2010 Radisson Roseville Thanksgiving Basketball Classic, Academy of Art University forced a 0-of-20 start for the Peacocks and held UIU to 13.8 percent shooting in the half which serves as the lowest by any ART U opponent in program history. Freshman forward William Overton, Jr. led the Knights' charge with 18 second half points en route to a 25 point, 10 rebound night.

“It was a really terrific effort by everybody who played in the first half,” Head Coach Mark Sembrowich said. “The kids really played all out and it was just a tremendous effort. Defensively, we were really good. Offensively, we did make some shots, but defensively we got out and guarded them hard. I'm really proud and thought they did really well.”

Academy of Art University exploded out of the gate on a 20-3 run, including the first nine points of the game. Aggressive defense led to offense as ART U's first basket was ignited by a steal from senior guard Devin Williams. Williams got into the passing lane and quickly brought the ball downcourt to set up a 3-pointer by Overton, Jr.. After junior center Hunter Hayden put in a layup, Overton, Jr. struck again with a jumper following his own block on the defensive end.

A scoreless three minutes then passed before senior forward Phillip Samuel was fouled while attempting a triple. He converted three free throws to put Academy of Art up 12-2. Junior forward Keith Davis then scored his first four points on a pair of offensive rebounds to extend the surge. One minute later, a pretty spin move by Hayden yielded another layup and effectively put the Knights up by 17 points.

Although UIU tried to use full-court defensive pressure to counter, the Urban Knights' defense did not relent. It was only at the 6:14 mark when the Peacocks would convert their first shot from the floor. Holding Upper Iowa to no field goals in the first 13 minutes, Academy of Art forced 20 consecutive misses from UIU, even stopping some fastbreak opportunities along the way.

After making their first field goal, Upper Iowa made a push to get back into the game with a 12-4 run. Two clutch shots by the Urban Knights, however, provided a significant rebuttal. Senior guard Lance Olivier knocked down a 3-pointer at the 1:29 mark off a pass from freshman guard Czar Robotham. With under a minute left, Samuel then drained a long two-point basket after Hayden grabbed an offensive rebound and found him in the corner.

In the incredible first half, ART U never trailed and finished leading the Peacocks 29-19. Academy of Art held UIU to 4-for-29 shooting and registered three blocks as well as two steals. The Knights also out-rebounded Upper Iowa 28-16.

“Hunter really did a good job defensively for us,” Coach Sembrowich said. “He really set the tone in there and was really a great anchor for us. Especially with eight first-half rebounds.”

Much like the game against UC San Diego last weekend, Overton, Jr. scored the first basket for ART U in the second half. At 18:44, Overton, Jr. ran to the three-point line and stopped quickly for a long ball after receiving the pass from Williams. It would be a foreshadowing of things to come.

Three consecutive buckets in the paint were made by Academy of Art as part of a 10-0 burst. The run was capped by an Overton, Jr. hanging jumper off a spin move inside the three-point arc. Overton, Jr. not only made the shot, but he also went to the free throw line and completed a three-point play in the sequence. The Trenton, NJ native seemed unstoppable during this stretch where he scored nine consecutive ART U points, giving them an 18-point advantage.

However, Upper Iowa would not go away. From trailing the Knights 41-23, the Peacocks responded with an 11-0 run that included two three-point plays from guard Dan Bestul. The push was promptly ended by senior forward Jonathan Burnett who got into the key to convert a jumper at 13:08 on the clock. After a steal by Overton, Jr., Olivier came up with a big 3-pointer to grow the ART U lead back to 10 points, 46-36.

From that moment, UIU made repeated attempts to fight back into the contest. They used a 7-0 surge to close a significant portion of the gap, but a tip-in by freshman center Noah Koné-Nelson and a fastbreak layup from Burnett, kept Academy of Art ahead still. Down the stretch, UIU's Bestul continued to score though Overton, Jr. knocked down two jumpers and a circus shot by Davis maintained the Knights advantage.

Just over two minutes remained when Upper Iowa managed its first tie of the evening, 56-56, on a free throw by guard Matt Lesan. Shortly thereafter, Davis put Academy of Art up again with a layup and this time, ART U held the lead for good. Early in the final minute, Overton made two clutch free throws to build on the margin and a block by Burnett denied UIU's first chance to respond with 57 seconds left.

Upper Iowa tried to stay close with a foul strategy to extend the game, and Overton, Jr. soon found himself at the free throw line again. With 12 seconds remaining, he made two more to put the Knights up 63-58. On UIU's final possession of the game, Kone-Nelson rejected a layup by the Peacocks, making their last-second 3-pointer irrelevant. ART U had executed a strong final minute to take the 63-61 victory and move to 1-2 in three games this season.

Overton, Jr. finished with a double-double (25 points and 10 rebounds) that included a 2-for-4 shooting night from beyond the arc, and a perfect 5-of-5 at the free throw line. He becomes the second Urban Knight to notch a 25-point night this season after Davis did so in the season opener. Overton, Jr. is also the fourth player to notch 25 points in a single game in ART U history.

“[Will] really scored well,” Coach Sembrowich said. “He made shots and he has a good ability to do that. He did some really good things and he had timely baskets as well."

Davis scored key baskets in the second half as part of his 13 points and seven rebounds. Hayden grabbed nine rebounds to go with six points and two blocks. Burnett made significant defensive plays to finish with six points, three blocks, and two rebounds. Off the bench, Olivier knocked down two 3-pointers, giving him six points as well.

Delving into the history books, the 13.8 percent shooting by UIU was the lowest by an Academy of Art opponent for a period since the Knights held Holy Names to 19 percent in the second half of a 65-59 ART U victory back on January 6, 2009. In fitting fashion, on the day after Thanksgiving, Academy of Art put forth another team effort to take the victory Friday night.

“We're a family without a doubt,” Davis said. “I felt it coming in. Everybody is happy to have everybody. [Here] we have 12 [players] that are really close-knitted. Everybody on the team talks well and we all get along."

Bestul and Lesan each scored 19 points to pace the Peacocks. Lesan, who came into the game averaging over 18 points per game, made two 3-pointers, but did most of his damage at the free throw line where he was 9-of-11. Bestul also made a pair of threes and pulled down four rebounds in the game. The guard combination added five steals, three assists, and one block. Forward Tucker Wentzien chipped in a team-best nine rebounds. UIU falls to 0-3 this season.

The 2010 Radisson Roseville Thanksgiving Basketball Classic continues tomorrow with Academy of Art matching up against host Concordia University, St. Paul. The Knights and Golden Bears square off inside Gangelhoff Center at 7:00 PM CST (5:00 PM PST).