MONTECITO, Calif. – A second-half explosion pushed Academy of Art men's basketball to overcome an 18-point deficit to take the win from Westmont, as ART U began their Pacific West Conference roadtrip with an emphatic 79-69 victory on Friday. 

"What a great comeback this afternoon!" said ART U Head Coach Scott Waterman. "Being down 18 and coming back is a testament to our team's resilience. All ten guys who played made major contributions to winning this evening. Winning on the road in conference is tough, and we need to continue to grow as we continue this road swing."

The Urban Knights, who improve 8-5 overall and 4-2 in conference, started out the game immediately trailing as the Warriors, now 6-7 overall and 2-5 in conference, opened with a 15-1 run in the first four minutes of the game. As ART U found themselves trying to climb back throughout the entirety of the first half, the Knights were able to reset with a 7-0 run to cut the Westmont lead to 44-33 as the two teams entered the half.

As ART U turned the deficit into just a two-possession game, it remained just that until past the midway point of the second frame. The Knights finally found the lead for the first time in the contest off a fastbreak layup by redshirt sophomore Eli Taylor to put themselves up top 62-60 with less than five minutes to go. More buckets from Eli Taylor and junior guard Treylon Payne, a straight seven points from junior forward Isaiah Williams, and a collection of turnovers by Westmont maintained the lead for ART U down the stretch as they came out with the win 79-69 as time expired.

Isaiah Williams and junior forward Quintin Metcalf led the squad in points (14 apiece) as Metcalf also brought in seven rebounds, with senior forward Latrell Williams collecting eight plus four steals. Eli Taylor added on double-digit points of his own (12) as he dished the ball off to a teammate for a score throughout both halves, finishing with six assists.

The McIntyre brothers did all they could for Westmont as Anthony McIntyre led the team in points (19) as he came off the bench with his sibling Adrian McIntyre following right behind (16).

Academy of Art will stay on the road next week seeking their third consecutive victory, as the Knights travel to the Hawaiian Islands, taking on Hawaii Pacific once again on Jan. 11 with Chaminade and UH Hilo following thereafter.