Box Score

San Francisco, CA – Led by balanced scoring and a career-high 21 points from senior forward Jonathan Burnett, the Urban Knights achieved an 86-73 victory over Bethany University Saturday night. Inside the warm confines of Kezar Pavilion, Academy of Art men's basketball gave its final 2010 home crowd a show with 51 points in the first half. Four different ART U players finished scoring in double figures on the night. 

“We had good play from a number of guys tonight,” Head Coach Mark Sembrowich said. “It's really good to see Jon Burnett go 9-for-11 with 10 rebounds. It was a good night for Jon. I'm glad to see Keith bouncing back. He just really brings good energy to the team and it's good to see him play well. It's really good to see us spreading the scoring out.”

With three-point buckets from freshman forward William Overton, Jr. and junior forward Keith Davis in the opening minutes, the Knights were off to a solid 6-0 start. Shortly thereafter, Academy of Art strengthened its lead with a 14-2 run, capped by a triple from sophomore guard Ivan "B.J." Prema, Jr. ART U kept its foot on the gas pedal with Davis scoring six consecutive points and then finding Burnett for a layup with 7:22 on the clock.

An impressive sequence came with a little over three minutes to go in the half when freshman guard Czar Robotham passed to junior center Hunter Hayden for a basket inside. Continuing the stretch, freshman forward Noah Koné-Nelson blocked a Bruins shot attempt out of bounds and Robotham soon stole the ball for a fast-break layup on the other end. Prema, Jr. would add a pair of buckets before halftime and Overton, Jr. had a layup in the final minute, helping bolster ART U's 10-2 surge to finish the period. The Knights shot over 62 percent from the floor and led 51-30 at the break, which marks the first time in program history Academy of Art has scored over 50 points in consecutive first halves.

“We've been able to get ahead early in a couple of games now,” Coach Sembrowich said. “We still need to string two halves together. We're still in search of that. That's a work in progress and we'll keep trying, but that's two games in a row where we were able to put 50 up in the first half. So we're showing that we are capable of that.”

The ART U advantage hovered around 20 points early in the second half as the Knights and Bruins traded baskets. Burnett, who was 8-of-8 to start the contest, went to work by scoring the first five points for Academy of Art in the period. Bethany attempted 14 threes in the second half and eventually managed to cut the lead down to 12 with 6:24 to go. A three-point play by Burnett gave ART U an important cushion as the Bruins followed with an 8-1 run to make the score 82-71 with under three minutes remaining.

Academy of Art University, however, never let its lead dip under double digits in the second half. Burnett answered the Bethany push with a layup to set his new career-high at ART U, and the Knights would finish off BU with a pair of made free throws by Overton, Jr. in the waning seconds. At the end of the night, the Urban Knights were triumphant with an 86-73 final score. Academy of Art improves to 3-5 overall on the year.

In addition to the new career-high of 21 points, Burnett also grabbed 10 rebounds, including seven on the offensive glass. Crucial put-backs by Burnett were complemented by 20 points from Overton, Jr., who compared to the NCAA statistical leaders as the 11th best scorer in the country at the beginning of the week (24.1 points per game). Davis put in 17 points with eight rebounds and four assists, while Hayden served as the fourth Urban Knight scoring in double figures with his 12 points. Off the bench, Prema, Jr. had seven points and Robotham was a facilitator with five assists. As a team, ART U out-assisted the Bruins 20-12.

“The assists were really important,” Coach Sembrowich said. “I think we're averaging 11 on the season so that's good to get 20. It really shows we can share the ball.”

Leading Bethany offensively was guard Kenny Thompson and his game-high 25 points. Thompson added eight rebounds and three blocks by the end of the night while guard Marqus. Crawford contributed 15 points. BU moves to 0-11 overall this season.

Academy of Art University now has 10 full days before their next competition, when they compete in the Holy Names University New Year's Classic Tournament. In game one, the Knights are scheduled to face Cal Maritime on Dec. 29 at 4:00 PM, followed by a pairing with host Holy Names on Dec. 30 at 6:00 PM. All contests will take place inside Tobin Gymnasium in Oakland, CA.