SAN FRANCISCO – Despite junior guard
Stefan Milivojevic scoring a career-high 31 points, Academy of Art dropped a 68-63 decision to Chico State on Wednesday evening inside Kezar Pavilion.
Not only did Milivojevic have a career-high in points, but he also made a sensational 11-of-13 from the field and 5-of-7 from 3-point range. An all around day strong day for the junior Serbian, he also collected four rebounds, an assist, a steal, and one block in his team-high 38 minutes.
On the day before Thanksgiving, the Urban Knights came out hungry, scoring 15 points in the first five minutes of the game. ART took a 15-9 lead on eight straight points from Milivojevic including back-to-back 3-pointers. Junior guard
Kai Tease got involved soon after with his first deep ball to give the Knights an 18-12 advantage.
The Wildcats fired back with an 8-0 run capped off by a Colby Orr 3-pointer with 10:23 in the first half for a 20-18 lead. Milivoejvic tied the game on a layup shortly after, before putting ART U ahead 23-22 on his third 3-pointer of the half. Another run from the Wildcats gave them a 33-25 lead but Milivojevic struck again, draining a ball from downtown to cut the deficit to five. The final points of the first half came on a beautiful floater from Tease, to chip away at Chico State's 39-33 lead.
The Wildcats quickly extended their lead to 48-37 in the second half and looked to be gaining momentum, but a Milivojevic three-point play turned the tables. Three made free throws later and ART U was right in it, down just 48-43. The teams traded points fairly evenly until Chico State created a bit of separation down the stretch, taking a 66-54 lead with 2:22 to play.
But the unswerving Urban Knights were not out of it yet. They kept fighting and narrowed the lead to 66-60 with 34 seconds on three points each from Tease and Milivojevic, and determined defense. As the seconds dwindled down, ART U looked to the long ball. Junior guard
Joshua Bagley fired one off and was fouled on the play. Bagley sank all three free throws to bring the Knights within four and keep things interesting. But the Wildcats still held a 67-63 advantage, so ART U was forced to foul. Chico's Kevin Warren hit one of his shots from the charity stripe to effectively put the game out of reach at 68-63. ART U rushed down the court for a quick 3-pointer, but time expired and the Urban Knights fell.
After the loss, Academy of Art falls to 2-4 on the year. The Urban Knights will look to bounce back when they start PacWest play against Fresno Pacific on Thursday, Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m. at the Felix Event Center in Fresno, California.
