IRVINE, Calif. – Both Academy of Art men's basketball and Concordia traded shots all night during a Pacific West Conference clash, with neither team building more than a three-possession lead throughout the whole game, but foul trouble for ART U combined with a late 8-0 CUI run was the difference maker as Concordia squeaked out a 77-71 victory on Saturday. 

In a game that featured a total of 14 ties and 11 lead changes, the last time the game was gridlocked came with the score at 62-62 and just over three minutes to play. Ready to answer the call were the Golden Eagles (2-5, 1-1 PacWest), as their eight unanswered points started with a pair of free throws, but it was consecutive 3-pointers that seized the game's momentum and a lead they would not relinquish. The first came from Bryce Fitzgerald, while the last came from Lance Coleman II to put him at the 30-point mark in the contest. 

Doing their best to respond were the Urban Knights (5-3, 0-2 PacWest), as a bucket from beyond the arc by graduate student guard Will Balata and a layup from graduate student guard Stephon Hall kept the score within five points. Though ART U was able to battle through second-half foul trouble, the Knights were forced to foul in the closing moments to try and regain possession, but watched the Eagles ice the game from the free throw line. 

Showing their grit on the night, Academy of Art got a pair of three-balls from Balata late in the first half helped slow down any momentum that CUI was building and kept the deficit to just single digits. There were even a couple of dominant stretches for ART U, establishing a lead of six points at one moment in the first frame (their largest lead of the game) while twice leading by five in the second period.

Even those periods of the contest, as well as swiping 14 steals (one off their season best) and forcing 22 Concordia turnovers, it was not enough to avoid consecutive losses for the first time this season. The defeat also snapped a previous three-game winning streak over the Eagles, starting the stretch with a 70-68 victory back on Feb. 22, 2020 before most recently pulling off a season sweep last year on Dec. 9, 2021 and Jan. 8, 2022.

Even in defeat three Urban Knights reached double-digit scoring led by the 19 points from Balata (tying his season-high), who also led the squad in rebounds with seven. Meanwhile, senior guard Klay Brown chipped in 13 points with six rebounds while graduate student guard Deang Deang added 11 points on 5-for-10 (50.0 percent) shooting from the field.

After the streak was broken last time out, the Knights once more posted double-digit assists with 13 on the night, recording 10 or more in seven of eight games this season. Each Urban Knight who had one recorded at least two steals in the game, led by the four from sophomore guard Rodney Munson (to go with four assists) while Brown and Hall each collected three apiece.

Two nights removed from holding the top scorer in the PacWest to just 11 points, ART U could not repeat the feat facing off against the No. 2 scorer in the conference, as Coleman II topped all scorers in the game with 31 points. He paired that scoring effort with 10 rebounds, which was also a game best. 

There will be a week before Academy of Art can rebound, as they return to the court on Saturday, Dec. 10 at 3:30 p.m. to take on Chaminade while still seeking their first PacWest win of the year.