San Francisco, CA --- Academy of Art University (0-20, 0-10 in PacWest) battled Notre Dame de Namur (3-20, 1-11 in PacWest) into the final seconds Saturday night at Kezar Pavilion. The Knights ultimately dropped a nail-biter 59-57. The school's first Homecoming game brought its largest and most spirited crowd to witness senior guard Weleh Dennis pour in a season-high 17 points off the bench, including a 4-for-5 night from beyond the arc.

“The fans were tremendous tonight,” Head Coach Mark Sembrowich said. “I think they helped a lot. We didn't shoot exceptionally well, but when you have those people and that energy keep coming, the guys weren't going to let down. I think they really helped us out and we are very fortunate having their support.”

Both teams were quiet offensively through the first four minutes of the game. Forward Nick Storment scored NDNU's first six points and although the Argonauts took an 11-5 lead, AAU fought back to even the score at 11-11. Notre Dame's opportunity to add to its five-point advantage at the seven minute mark was squashed by an Urban Knight steal leading to sophomore forward Josiah Jungsten finishing the fast break with a crowd-pleasing reverse dunk that ignited the fans to a frenzy.

The fans were electrified again four minutes later when Dennis hit back-to-back 3-pointers as part of a 9-2 surge by Academy of Art. Tied 24-24 with 2:36 remaining, the Argonauts were able to push to a 28-24 halftime advantage. Dennis' six points led the Knights at the half.

The second period saw NDNU rush to a 10-point lead off seven points from guard Bennie Murray. Freshman guard Ivan "B.J." Prema, Jr. promptly ended that run when Dennis found him for a long ball just seconds later. From there, Dennis reeled off five straight points to bring his team within two, 39-37.

After Notre Dame de Namur again took a nine-point lead, Dennis would again respond with two consecutive treys to tie the game 48-48 with 3:17 remaining. The teams jockeyed back and forth with junior forward Jonathan Burnett keeping pace with three clutch layups that kept the Knights within striking distance.

Academy of Art skillfully sent NDNU to the foul line in the final minute for a strategic comeback, but with 21 seconds on the clock and down by four points, the momentum seemed to be on the visitors' side. However, Prema, Jr. nailed a huge 3-point shot with 12 seconds left much to the crowd's delight and NDNU was forced to call timeout. After the Argonauts missed the second of two foul shots and with AAU down by two, the Knights immediately pushed the ball upcourt to freshman guard Jordan Knox. He deftly evaded two defenders with a crossover dribble to free himself for a short jumper inside the paint with one second remaining. The shot fell short, as did the team's chances of obtaining their first victory of the season. Nevertheless, the energy, effort, and determination of this night proved that the young Urban Knights have much to build on and will see many victories in the future.

Dennis led the Knights with a season-high 17 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals.

“I thought [Dennis] gave us a tremendous boost off the bench,” Coach Sembrowich said. “He came in with a lot of energy and then knocked down some shots and I think he felt good when he was able to knock down some of those shots. It was his energy that kept us afloat. We got down 10 and his energy didn't let us die so he did a great job.”

Supporting Dennis was sophomore forward Hunter Hayden who pulled down a team-high eight rebounds with his six points that included 4-for-6 shooting from the free throw line. Prema, Jr.'s big 3-pointer in the final seconds helped him finish with eight points. Burnett scored eight points off the bench and grabbed seven rebounds. Junior guard Lance Olivier finished with a game-high five assists as well.

Storment was the leading scorer for NDNU with 16 points (8-for-12 FT) and nine rebounds. Forward Trent Henwood added 11 points and seven rebounds, while Murray added nine points and a game-high 10 rebounds. The teams were even on the boards with 42 rebounds apiece.

The Urban Knights are back on the road for their next four games beginning with a rematch against Dominican University on Feb. 18 in San Rafael, CA. Academy of Art and NDNU will face off again Feb. 22 in Belmont, CA.