SAN FRANCISCO – Academy of Art men's basketball (5-12, 4-7 PacWest) looked dominant from the start, holding Fresno Pacific (4-15, 4-8 PacWest) to a field goal percentage below 37 percent and never trailing en route to a 57-52 victory over the Sunbirds.
 
In the first half, the Urban Knights immediately jumped out to a 5-point lead after two minutes of play. ART U continued to extend their advantage, leading by as much as 11 with 3:06 remaining in the period. Strong play from junior guard Victor Nwaba was a key factor as the Los Angeles native headed into the half with 13 points already on the board. Stingy defense was another contributor as ART U did not allow the Sunbirds to score a single 3-pointer through 10 attempts.

 
The game's defensive-mentality seeped into the second half as well. After a quick layup from junior guard Uchenna Okeneme, neither side was able to score for over three minutes. Eventually, the drought subsided and the Urban Knights continued to tack on the points, taking a 12-point, 43-31 lead with 11:21 remaining in the contest. However, FPU would not go down without a fight: the Sunbirds trimmed the deficit to three points with just 30 seconds remaining, but Nwaba immediately fired back, knocking down a clutch 3-pointer in the next possession that gave his team all of the insurance that they needed. Despite several attempts by Fresno Pacific to foul, Academy of Art would not be denied, ultimately taking the contest to split the season series (1-1) with the Sunbirds.
 
From delivering clutch points to scoring a game-high point total, Nwaba led ART U with 21 points and added four rebounds and two assists. As a team, the Urban Knights exhibited unselfish play as 17 of 23 made field goals came with an assist and all eight players who recorded minutes on the floor came away with at least one basket. Furthermore, the Knights' 52 points allowed are the fewest this season and least since February 26, 2013 when ART U defeated Holy Names 61-49.