BELMONT — As Benno Zecic rises, so does the Stanislaus State men's basketball team.
 
Zecic scored a career-high 21 points Tuesday – his second consecutive double-figure scoring game – and the Warriors won their second straight game, beating Academy of Art, 68-59, in a non-conference game at Walter Gleason Gym.
 
Zecic shot 63.6% (7 for 11) from the floor and was 3 for 5 from 3-point range to lead all scorers. He also added five assists and a career-best six rebounds. Just three days ago, Zecic went for career highs in assists (6) and steals (4) while posting his first double-figure scoring game of the season with 13 points, which helped lead the Warriors (2-2) to their first win of the season.
 
Stanislaus State never trailed in the game, thanks to a hot start from Zecic and Tony Singleton, who added 19 points of his own with five 3-pointers. Singleton hit two of those treys in the Warriors' first three trips down the court. Singleton's second triple was assisted by Zecic, who hit his own 3-ball a minute later to give Stan State an early five-point lead at 9-4.
 
Academy of Art (2-3) pulled to within at least one basket (3 or less points) five times during the first half, but couldn't completely close the gap. The Urban Knights hit five treys of their own in the first, but Stanislaus State kept them at bay throughout the night by shooting 47.6% from deep and making 10 3-pointers for the second straight game.
 
A 10-2 run to start the second half pushed the Warriors' lead to 11, capped by another Singleton 3-pointer. Six straight points under the two-minute mark gave Stan State its biggest lead of the night at 68-56 and sealed the victory.
 
Academy of Art was led by Adrian Byrd-Jelinek and Denny Slay, who had 11 points each.
 
Stanislaus State returns home on Saturday to open California Collegiate Athletic Association play No. 12/12 Chico State as part of a doubleheader with the women's team. The game is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. start. Fans can find all live coverage links on WarriorAthletics.com.