AZUSA, Calif. – A Pacific West Conference men's basketball rematch lived up to the hype, as Academy of Art men's basketball traded the lead back-and-forth with Azusa Pacific. While ART U came back from an early deficit to tie the game up at half and led midway through the second period, a late run from APU would swing the game in the Cougars' favor 87-82 on Thursday. 

Azusa Pacific, who improved to 8-12 overall and 7-6 in conference play, was lights out from range in the starting minutes of the contest, as their first 15 points all came from triples on 5-for-6 shooting from the squad. Their 17-4 initial lead off the bat quickly turned around as ART U, now 13-6 overall and 9-3 in conference, found a spark and used a 13-2 run to climb back into it, with the contest being all tied up 41-41 as the two teams entered halftime. Both APU and ART U shot 46 percent from the field in the first period, while the Cougars shot 53 percent (8-for-15) from three-point range and the Urban Knights found their points from fast breaks (17) and in the paint (34).

With the Knights leading for the first 12 minutes of the second half, Ken West caught fire and put Azusa Pacific ahead as he knocked down a deep 3-pointer. ART U would gain the lead back briefly from a senior forward Latrell Williams mid-range jumper, but the Cougars would tie it back up with a free throw before West knocked down another triple and put the squad ahead, a lead they'd maintain throughout the final stretch. The Knights managed to climb within two points with 27 seconds to go, but could not overcome the hump as the game would finalize at 87-82.

Junior guard Allen Taylor and Latrell Williams would lead the team in points (17 apiece) while junior forward Isaiah Williams (14) would also score in the double-digits along with junior forward Jamal Fuller (11). Isaiah Williams tacked on a team-high five steals in the contest, while Latrell Williams' 14 rebounds helped him record his 22nd double-double of his ART U career, the most in the program's history as he now takes sole-ownership of the record. Junior forward Quintin Metcalf would add on eight rebounds of his own, while redshirt sophomore guard Eli Taylor would contribute four assists.

West showed out for APU, recording a game-high 26 points on 7-for-13 shooting while he went 6-for-11 from deep. Bryce Sloan provided 20 points with Kaleb Taylor adding 13 while he brought in eight rebounds.

It will be a tough turnaround for ART U, as the Urban Knights' next stop by Point Loma to take on the Sea Lions, who are now first in the PacWest standings, this Saturday, Feb. 3 with tip time set for 5 p.m.