OAKLAND, Calif. – Active hands on defense spurred an Academy of Art men's basketball comeback effort against Fresno Pacific on Saturday, as nine second-half steals helped ART U briefly cut the deficit to single digits late in the contest. However, FPU iced the game at the free throw line where they scored their final 12 points, and snatched a win in Pacific West Conference action by a 74-63 final. 

Living up to their billing as the defense that allows the lowest opponent average score in the conference, the Sunbirds (10-4, 4-3 PacWest) made life tough for the Urban Knights (10-8, 6-4 PacWest) over the course of the game, as ART U finished just 35 percent from the floor. Action was back-and-forth in the early parts of the contest, but a pair of FPU runs late in the frame would establish a comfortable margin by halftime, 31-16.

Despite collecting the nine second-half steals and forcing a total of 18 FPU turnovers, ART U could not capitalize on the defensive momentum as they generated just 17 points off of those turnovers. Academy of Art would actually top the Sunbirds in numerous other statistical categories including second-chance points, fast break points, and points in the paint, but could not complete the comeback despite making over 46 percent of their looks from the field in the second period. 

Another four Urban Knights would hit double-digit scoring, as graduate student guard Denny Slay led the way with 16 points while redshirt junior guard Christian Popoola Jr. trailed closely behind with 14 points on the strength of 6-for-7 (85.7 percent) shooting from the field. Junior guard Klay Brown would join that quartet with 11 points plus five steals while sophomore forward Latrell Williams chipped in 10 points, as he paired that with six rebounds, tied for the team-high on the afternoon along with graduate student guard Deang Deang and sophomore forward Cheickna Sissoko. 

While the Knights had depth, the Sunbirds had the game's leading scorer in Jelani Watson-Gayle, ending the game with 32 points while teammate Darrin Person added 15 of his own. 

Academy of Art will return to the road the next time they hit the court for PacWest action, as the Knights will meet with Biola and Azusa Pacific for the first time this season on Jan. 27 and 29.