SAN DIEGO – Academy of Art men's basketball (5-13, 4-8 PacWest) kept pace with Point Loma (11-8, 7-5 PacWest) throughout, however the sixth-place Sea Lions were able to hold their ground and pulled away in the final minutes of play.
 
For the majority of the first half, the Urban Knights did well to keep things close with PLNU. Despite trailing by six points to open the period, ART U trimmed the deficit to just two (11-9) with 13:01 to play. Eight minutes later, a pair of free throws by freshman forward Ivan Furlan kept it to a 3-point game. However, an 11-2 run by Point Loma in the remaining minutes gave the Sea Lions a 12-point, 40-28 lead at the half. A perfect free-throw percentage by ART U helped keep the Knights alive as their 12-for-12 output from the charity stripe served as nearly half of their first-half points.
 
Point Loma stepped on the gas pedal to start the second half and led by as much as 20 points. However, Academy of Art's effort was relentless and they pulled within 11 points thanks to a layup from senior forward Chris Salas with 10:21 to play. After a pair of traded baskets, senior guard Herman Pratt IV made it a 9-point affair (57-48) with 8:30 to go. However, the Sea Lions would return to a double-digit cushion and push their lead to 20 points after a pair of back-to-back triples with under two minutes left. Although the Knights made several key stops, they were unable to chip away at the lead and finished the game with a 33.3 field goal percentage.
 
There were a pair of Urban Knights to score in double digit points including Salas who led the team with 13 and added two rebounds. Freshman guard Dante Williams was the biggest contributor off of the bench, scoring 10 points along with six boards. Both Salas and Williams played a big part in ART U's success at the free-throw line as they each went 4-for-4 in the first half. Academy of Art finished the evening shooting 81.8 percent in that category (18-for-22) compared to Point Loma's 65.0 percent (13-for-20). The Knights were also consistent in forcing turnovers, leading both sides with 12 (five steals) which led to 11 points.
 
ART U will now return home where they will host a rematch with Holy Names on Thursday, February 2 at 7:30 p.m.