IRVINE, Calif. – The Urban Knights held up well against the first-place Concordia Eagles on Saturday, but eventually fell 79-65.
 
In the first half, the Eagles, got out to a quick 11-point lead with a score of 16-5 with just over five minutes played. ART U would quickly adjust to Concordia's offensive schemes however and bring the score to within two points on three separate occasions. At the half, both teams headed to the locker rooms with just one possession separating the two scores (34-32).
 
ART U maintained the same defensive intensity for much of the second period, holding the deficit to below ten points until 9:30 remained on the clock. The Eagles continued to distance themselves from Academy of Art and would finish the game with a 14-point margin (their largest of the night).
 
As a team, the Urban Knights posted a dominant defensive first half, holding Concordia to a .333 field goal percentage and .273 shooting from beyond the arc. However, the Eagles raised their shooting percentage to 57.7 percent in the second half which led to their ultimate victory.
 
Although the Academy of Art was on the losing side of the scoreboard, there were several players who fashioned together dominant performances. Sophomore guard Uchenna Okeneme posted 16 points (his highest total since scoring 19 against Point Loma on January 7. The Carson native also recorded three rebounds and three assists. Junior guard Chris Salas was 6-for-8 from the field and also recorded 16 points with three rebounds and three assists. Redshirt junior guard Sergio Valdeolmillos was the last ART U player to finish in the double digits, scoring 10 points with a team-high four rebounds.
 
The Urban Knights now head to San Diego to face Point Loma for their second-to-last road game of the 2015-16 season on Monday. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.