A break from their busy Greek lives, members of the Beggars and Phi Kappa Psi fraternities have found satisfaction on the basketball court.

For Alex Failla, finance junior and a member of the Beggars, the intramural basketball season provided many ups and downs.

Although the Beggars appeared dominant at times, such as their 51-13 defeat of Squids in what they’ve come to refer to as “The Valentine’s Day Massacre,” their 38-33 loss to The Lawmen on March 7 on the last day of the regular season brought their record to 2-3.

“When our team is all there, we can play with anyone,” Failla said. “Nevin(Brown) was missing from our losses, with Kyle(McCarrick) being absent for one of those losses as well.”

History freshman Brown, who Failla described as the Beggars’ “best all-around player,” had 16 points and 14 rebounds in “The Valentine’s Day Massacre.”

While the Beggars struggled down the stretch to a 2-3 record, Phi Psi finished second in their division with a 4-1 record.

“Our whole team plays great with each other and with this teamwork we find success,” said Matthew Brill, Phi Psi captain, finance senior and intramural supervisor.

Phi Psi’s teamwork has led to their successful season, and Gary Elzey’s ability to score on any defender in the league has proven vital. Elzey, psychology senior, is among the top-10 scorers in the league at 14 points per game.

One feature that students who participate in intramural basketball said they have enjoyed is looking at their statistics.

“Something that I believe everybody enjoys is the statistics keeping. Everyone enjoys going home and being able to look up their stat line,” Failla said.

In addition to the statistics, Failla said he appreciated the fact that the league started the games on time.

“It allowed all members of the league to schedule around the games accordingly,” Failla said.

This intramural basketball season saw more participants than ever due to an increased marketing push by the Wellness department at the beginning of the season.

“I don’t believe we have any plans for change, especially since this year’s basketball season is running smoothly,” Brill said.

Richard Dempsey can be reached at [email protected]

Students compete in an intramural basketball game. (TIFFANY KUDIWU/COntributing photographer)