Box Score SAN FRANCISCO – Academy of Art men's basketball exploded offensively on Friday night against Jessup, snatching a new season high in points while all five starters scored in the double digits to secure the 95-76 victory in the last game before Pacific West Conference play begins.
"It was good to finally get back on the court after last Friday," said Head Coach Scott Waterman. "We took another step in the right direction this evening as we are on the eve of PacWest play starting. It was great to see our effort on the boards, our aggressiveness in forcing turnovers, and how we shared the ball. We have six days now to prepare for what is taking the first step of achieving our goal of winning a PacWest Championship."
While starting with early success as they gained a lead that they never gave up, the Urban Knights, who improved to 3-3, had already gained a 15-point lead less than six minutes into the contest when the score hit 20-5. Much like the entire game, the five starters of ART U all collectively played strong offense early in the opening frame, which included a one-hand slam by junior forward Jamal Fuller off a fastbreak that kept the momentum rolling.
The Warriors dialed up as they started to erase the large advantage the Knights built, bringing their deficit to just four around the eight-minute mark after knocking down two triples. This was the smallest difference between the two teams after the first scoring run by ART U, and the Knights responded by bringing that lead back up to 11 as the halftime buzzer rang, sending the teams to the locker rooms with the score set at 49-38.
At the half, junior forward Isaiah Williams led the team in points (15), while junior guard Rodney Munson and senior forward Latrell Williams had already brought in eight rebounds apiece and junior guard Treylon Payne had five steals.
Out of the break, the Knights narrowly expanded their current lead and kept it around the same throughout the duration of the second half, not giving Jessup a chance to climb their way back into it. Numerous flashy plays occurred in the second frame, including redshirt sophomore guard Eli Taylor's three steals, two made baskets, and an assist all in the matter of under a minute. Malik Patton of Jessup did all he could with his team-lead 16 points off the bench, but could not overcome the Knights as they maintained their consistency through the final stretch, as ART U took the win 95-76.
Isaiah Williams continued knocking down shots in the second half and finished with 25 points while tacking on eight rebounds. Fuller added 16 points, while Latrell Williams secured his first double-double of the year with his 15 points and 12 rebounds. Payne delivered 11 points plus five steals and Munson produced 10 points with eight rebounds and five assists. As a team, ART U shot nearly 52 percent from the field and had its starters account for all but 18 of the 95 points.
ART U will see their first PacWest opponent as they will take on the Azusa Pacific Cougars next Thursday, Dec. 7, as the Knights will host at Menlo's Haynes-Prim Pavilion in Atherton, Calif. with an 8 p.m. tip.
