Team Trill came up against a significantly bigger and longer team in Here's the Highlight, and though they kept it close for most of the contest, fell 21-16 when they could not get shots to drop at the end of the game. Highlight, consisting of juniors Steven Bonomo, Kyle Tennant, Matt "Rodman" Kadich, Matt Stolze and Tony Rizzo, used their length to block and alter many of Trill's early shots, especially when Trill tried to attack inside early in the game.
Trill, consisting of sophomore Mike Burton and freshmen Connor Ryan, JP Sullivan, Armani Sutton and James Yurkovich, could muster nothing offensively early but were not punished, as Highlight missed multiple open looks early in the game. Trill began to adjust its offense to their opponents' size, switching to a dribble-drive-kick offense that opened up jump shots, especially for Yurkovich and Sullivan, while contesting every one of Highlight's shots in an effort to keep pace.
The strategy worked, as the game was neck-and-neck for the majority of the first half before Trill reeled off two consecutive fast-break layups to open up their largest lead of the game at 11-8. The second half was fiercely competitive. Both teams battled for every loose ball, every layup was strongly contested and the game got very chippy, even stopping briefly midway through the second half for a minor verbal disagreement.
The physical nature of the second half played into Highlight's hands, however. They opened the second half with a 4-0 run to take a lead they would not relinquish. Continuing to pound the ball inside, Highlight started seeing its layups drop while Trill started cooling off from outside.
Trill fought hard but simply couldn't get its jumpers to fall late, and Highlight came away with a hard-fought win.
Book it and Lock It 21, Don't Foul, We'll Sue 8.
In a battle consisting mostly of law students, No. 3 Book It came away with an easy victory en route to what it hopes is many more victories.
Seniors Mike Bramante and Pat McHugh, junior Aaron Nichols and law students Kieran Piller and John Rompf made up Book It, while first-year law students Andrew Doyle, Eric Klupp, Leonard Giannone, Harrison St. Germain and Michael Kiel suited up for Don't Foul.
Book It held a distinct size advantage that it employed effectively on both ends of the court. On the attack, Book It relied on heavy doses of high passing, preferring not to dribble while imposing their will inside. In addition, they tried to force turnovers to get into fast-break situations.
To counter Book It's transition attack, Don't Foul attempted to slow the game down in one of their many tactical adjustments.
"We tried to out-tactical the other team," Doyle said. "We figured, you know, with our law degrees, we could scheme up some plays. We didn't execute great, but we at least tried it."
Book It displayed its superior athleticism throughout the game, succeeding on multiple dunk attempts on dribble drives and fast breaks, taking an 11-4 lead at halftime.
The second half was more of the same, with Don't Foul sinking the occasional jump shot but being generally unable to crack the Book It defense.
Book it continued to dominate, especially on the boards, where they denied Don't Foul any second-chance opportunities while giving themselves second, third and even fourth chances. In the end, their size, length and athleticism overwhelmed Don't Foul, and Book It moved on to the next round in a 21-8 victory.
Farquad Farthest 21, Options without Futures 16
With a strong transition game, the athletic lineup of Farquad Farthest made a second half surge to beat Options without Futures.
Farquad Farthest consisted of freshman Bo Brinkman, sophomore Ben Mall, and juniors Kris Kast, Mike Sobolewski and Sam Russ.
Brinkman fought off a sprained ankle to pace the team with five points.
"It's Bookstore Basketball, you have to play through anything," Brinkman said.
Options without Futures led 13-10, but Farquad Farthest took control of the game with an 8-0 run early in the second half.
Staff members Mike Cook, Chris Gehring, Dave Ludwig, Brian Patterson and Pete Murphy made up the Options without Futures squad.
"It was a good game," Gehring said. "They had the size advantage. It was hard fought, but we couldn't pull it out."
Farquad Farthest will play their next game Friday night.
Intimidation 21, No Billy Mays Quick Chop for Us 4
The gameplan for Intimidation was to run early and often in order to reach the next round of the tournament, and that is exactly what they did in their victory over No Billy Mays Quick Chop for Us.
Junior Rob Wilson and sophomore Mike DeRusso each dropped six points in the winning effort. Sophomore Matt Lemanski added four points, freshman Jonathan Fisher scored three and freshman Keith Marrero scored two.
"It was a lot of fun out there," Intimidation captain DeRusso said. "It was a beautiful night for the game. We played well tonight and I'm happy with what we did."
DeRusso hit several outside shots, including the clincher.
"My teammates were finding me for the open shot, so I kept shooting it," he said. "They had confidence in me so I kept putting them up and a few went in."
Fisher's tough defense helped the team get opportunities to run the fast break.
"We hustle, get the rebound, try to release quick and make a mismatch with our speed," he said.
Wilson tied DeRusso for the team lead with six points. He fueled the team with his hustle and energy.
"I really want to run all day," he said. "We rely on hustle, ferocity, and Matt Lemanski's good looks."
Intimidation advances to the next round and will play Friday night.
