ST. GEORGE, Utah -- In their first game of the Dixie State Thanksgiving Classic, Academy of Art led through the first half and into the second, but Dixie State made a late run that put the game out of reach with a 77-68 final.

The Trailblazers struck first on a three pointer in the opening minute of the game. On the next possession senior guard Kiel Long drove the lane, drew a foul, and put ART U on the board with a free throw. The Knight's next points came on a 3-pointer by senior guard Cobe Williams, followed up by a steal and layup by senior guard Zuri Williams to take their first lead of the game 6-5.

A back and forth battle featuring five lead changes ensued, but the Urban Knights claimed the final shift when junior guard Nemanja Kovacevic hit a three with 3:04 to put ART U up 30-28. Kovacevic hit another three before the end of the half to maintain Academy of Art's lead and the half ended with the Urban Knights up 34-32.

Academy of Art extended their lead in the first minute of the second half on Zuri's fifth steal of the game that he converted into two points on a layup. DSU briefly took the lead, but the Urban Knights fought back to tie the game 40-40 on a tip-in by junior forward Lake Del Mar with 15 to play. The Trailblazers proceeded to go on an 11-0 run that was ended on junior guard Gary Davis' first points of the night. Academy of Art continued to fight and closed the gap 62-64 with four minutes remaining on back to back three pointers by Kovacevic, but a final run by DSU put the game out of reach.

Kovacevic finished with a career high 14 points, shooting an exceptional 4-8 from three point range. Senior center Cameron Niven was the second highest scoring Knight with eight points and six rebounds. Zuri led ART U defensively and padded his team lead in steals and blocks with five and two respectively. His nine total steals and five blocks are both fifth most in the PacWest.

Academy of Art falls to 0-4 with the loss. The Urban Knight's next opportunity at their first win will come tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. versus Westminster College at Burns Arena in the final day of the Dixie State Thanksgiving Classic.