HAYWARD, Calif. – For the first time since 2013, Academy of Art has defeated Cal State East Bay. The Urban Knights took a huge lead in the first half and never gave it up to earn a 61-57 victory on Tuesday night at Pioneer Gym.
"To beat a well coached and tough Cal State East Bay is a testament to the focus and execution of our game plan," said head coach
Scott Waterman. "I am proud of the guys for having energy for 40 minutes and when they started to chip away at our lead we made key stops. The difference in the game was how we rebounded the ball on both ends of the floor. It allowed us to get second chance opportunities on offense and transition baskets off of our defensive boards."
Academy of Art improved to 2-1 after the victory that started their first win streak of the season. ART U also became the first team to defeat the Pioneers, as they were previously 2-0 with both wins coming against PacWest schools.
ART U went down 5-0 to start the game until junior guard
Joshua Bagley hit back-to-back layups to bring the Knights within one. The Pioneers took another lead, but redshirt junior forward
Luka Radovic tied the game at 12 with his first points of the night, before junior forward
Josh Hill hit a pair of free throws to give ART U their first lead at 14-12. Soon after, Bagley hit a 3-pointer extending the Knights' lead to 17-12. A 3-pointer from both junior guard
Stefan Milivojevic and Bagley plus five points from Hill gave ART U a 10 point lead at 27-17.
CSUEB brought the game to 27-21, but ART U went on a 10-2 run capped by a deep ball from senior forward
Tim Graham for a 37-23 advantage. By the end of the half, the Urban Knights held a 40-26 lead. Milivojevic claimed the final points of the half on a three ball with 51 seconds remaining.
The Pioneers came out of halftime red hot and dwindled ART U's lead to three at 49-46 halfway through the final period. An 8-0 run bolstered the Knights' lead back up to 57-49. The run started with a pair of made free throws by Graham, before Bagley and Graham both hit 3-pointers. ART U battened down the hatches defensively and only allowed eight points the remainder of the game to earn a triumphant 60-54 victory.
Three Urban Knights reached double-figures led by Bagley's season-high 14 point game. Hill came within one point of a double-double with 12 rebounds and nine points. Graham had another excellent showing, with 10 points and eight rebounds and Milivojevic rounded out the double-digit scorers with 13 points.
"Our chemistry is still coming together," said Waterman. "It is hard to realize we have only been together for nine weeks total, but tonight was another baby step in that process."
Academy of Art will look to extend their win streak this weekend when they compete in the Cal State Monterey Bay Challenge, where they will square off with Cal State San Marcos on Friday and Cal State Monterey Bay on Saturday.
