Intramural hoops teams crowned in Assembly Hall as tourney victors

After a tumultuous run through their respective tournaments, winners emerged from each division of the Recreational Sports annual intramural basketball championships.\nIn men’s Division I, the hailing champion and senior-led UMAD repeated as the victors over Division I-A foe Purple Rain. UMAD set the tempo early with a long 3-pointer from the left corner by Bloomington native Brian Mack. A 10-4 run from Purple Rain was then halted by student Devin Presslaft, who nailed a 3-pointer in the corner off a fast-break, pushing the score to 10-10.\nWith Purple Rain up 15-12, UMAD went on a 6-0 run concluded by a crisp pass from senior Josh Norris to team captain and IU alum Adam Hammer, who sealed the play with an easy bucket. The two teams traded baskets until Mack drilled a 3-pointer with seconds to play, putting UMAD up 24-21 at the half.\nThe second half began with a 5:28 scoring drought that ended with a mid-range jumper from the corner by Purple Rain’s sophomore Kellen Lewis. UMAD scored a quick bucket, but Purple Rain sophomore Kurtis Ashberry hit a transition 3-pointer to tie the game at 26-26. UMAD immediately responded with a 3-pointer by Presslaft to put his team ahead 29-26.\nPurple Rain made a late push, with a 3-pointer by junior Nick Polk and a quick transition layup from Lewis. But an emphatic rejection from student Troy Wayne and a series of free throws proved UMAD victorious and the team reclaimed its Division I title, 47-35.\n“We hit shots when we needed to, and created a lot of turnovers,” Norris said. “It feels good to be on top, we may stick around for a victory lap next year.”\nIn the men’s Division II battle, Thugnificance faced off against Midway Present. Thugnificance set the tone at the beginning of the first half, going on an 18-4 run, with 12 points coming from freshman Andrew Tiemeir.\nMidway sped up the tempo and cut the margin to 33-21 at the half with a 3-pointer from captain and graduate student Joe Sargent. Midway began the half with a 16-6 run, capped off by a 3-pointer from senior Bernie Talran. With the score 39-36, Thugnificance faced its first close margin of the game but responded with two quick baskets from Sargent. Thugnificance pulled away, going on an 11-3 run.\nThugnificance was crowned the Division II champions with their 56-44 victory. \n“This is unbelievable,” Tiemeir said. “It is a great experience for intramurals to have the championships at Assembly Hall. It seems so much bigger from down here than being up in the stands. You never think you’ll ever be able to play in this arena.”