FRESNO, Calif. – Two conference foes went toe-to-toe in Pacific West Conference action on Saturday, trading baskets through nearly the entire game until regulation ended. It was then that Fresno Pacific took control of the momentum, closing out Academy of Art men's basketball in extra time, 89-80. 
 
Senior forward Josh Hill erupted to open the game, scoring 10 of the Urban Knights' (1-3, 1-3 PacWest) first 13 points in building the early lead. Despite the lead swelling to eight points midway through the first half, FPU battled all the way back on the strength of 48.3 percent shooting from the floor to take a 40-36 lead after an Aamondae Coleman layup with 14 second left. Helping Hill in the scoring department for ART U was senior guard Stefan Milivojevic, going 3-for-4 from beyond the arc to close the frame with 11 points, while fellow senior guard Joshua Bagley handed out four assists. 
 
As the two teams continued to swap buckets, four different Urban Knights hit a 3-pointer over the first five minutes of the second half including the second on the night from Hill. He finished by knocking down two of his four looks from downtown, the first two 3-pointers in his ART U career. Despite the strong start, the Sunbirds continued their hot shooting from the first half and were able to overcome build up a seven-point lead of their own with just under five minutes left. 
 
It was then that ART U reeled off a 9-0 run, tying the game on a three-ball from junior guard Jalen Lovett before taking the lead on a Hill layup. It looked like ART U had a chance to win the game in regulation after a pair of free throws from junior guard Christian Popoola Jr., but Nate Kendricks tied the game for FPU on a layup with just 16 seconds left to force overtime. The extra period was all Sunbirds, knocking down four of their seven attempts to secure their second straight PacWest victory. 
 
It was the third double-double of the season for Hill, closing out the contests with 23 points and 16 boards. It was his first time scoring 20 or more points since the finale of ART U's season last year in March 2020. Milivojevic ended his night scoring 15 points after sinking three 3-pointers, while Popoola Jr. was 4-for-6 from the floor to close the game with 13 points. Bagley chipped in another pair of assists to finish with six, his most in a single game since he tallied seven helpers against Cal State San Bernardino in December 2019. 
 
Coleman paced FPU in scoring, as he tied Hill's game-high in points with 23 on 9-for-14 shooting from the field to go with seven boards. Also reaching double-digits was Spencer Heimerdinger, posing 10 points and six rebounds. 
 
The Urban Knights will look to rebound when they return to Walter Gleason Gym this coming Friday.