Box Score

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — In its fourth game this season Saturday against a top-25 ranked team and second on the road, the Academy of Art University men's basketball team battled until the final whistle before eventually falling to No. 11 California Baptist 80-69 in a Pacific West Conference game at Van Dyne Gym.
 
Senior guard Alexis Moore was only two points short of tying a career high for the Urban Knights (3-9, 1-5 PacWest) with 27. Junior center Trent Stokes had 11 points and five rebounds, giving him five straight games with double-digit points and at least three boards.
 
The No. 11 Lancers had two players with 20-point games, led by Gelaun Wheelwright's 24. Taj Spencer had a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds.
 
CBU got out to a 10-point lead 6 minutes, 24 seconds into the first half but had to fight off a strong surge by ART U in the waning minutes of the opening stanza. Trailing by 15 with just under 5 minutes to go before halftime, the Knights went on an 8-0 run to pull within seven, but the Lancers closed the half with a 10-4 run in the last 110 seconds to lead by 13 (42-29) at halftime.
 
California Baptist shot 50 percent in the first half but cooled down to only 33.3 percent in the second, allowing Academy of Art to win the shooting battle 42.4 to 41.3 percent. ART U had six players shoot 40 percent or better from the floor, including four starters.
 
Freshman guard Uchenna Okeneme and sophomore guard Marshawn McMahan were part of another late ART U push in the second half. The Urban Knights still trailed by as many as 22 with 2:59 to play, but thanks to six points from Okeneme and five from McMahan, the Knights went on a 13-1 run to close the game. Okeneme finished with nine points, four rebounds and two assists.
 
Academy of Art next travels to Azusa Monday to face PacWest leader and No. 14-ranked Azusa Pacific.