Men’s basketball crowned UAA Champions for first time in program history

Paola Van der Linden Costello Staff Writer

The Case Western Reserve University men’s basketball team secured their first ever University Athletic Association Championship and extended their conference play win streak to eight games, the longest in program history. The Spartans improved to 20-3 overall and 10-3 in conference play with their latest two wins. CWRU also jumped to No. 14 in the NCAA DIII rankings from No. 21 the previous week.

The win against the Washington University Bears on Friday, Feb. 17 night in St. Louis was not an easy one. CWRU struggled making their shots in the first half and let WashU go on a 10-0 run within the first three minutes of the game. Second-year guard Sam Trunley managed to score the first points for the Spartans with a 3-pointer with 16:53 remaining in the first half.

The Bears pushed their lead to 12, their largest of the night, midway through the first half, but CWRU continued to fight and stayed in the game. Graduate student guard Mitch Prendergast kept this game alive and scored 15 points in the remainder of the half. After a made 3-point jump shot by Prendergast with 3:24 left, the Spartans took their first lead of the game 31-29.

The Bears reciprocated quickly and tied the game with a jump shot but Prendergast followed up with a layup. After a defensive rebound by fourthyear forward Cole Frilling and another layup by Prendergast, CWRU took their largest lead of the half at 35-31. The lead didn’t last long as the Bears went on a 5-0 run to retake the lead 36-35. CWRU averaged 33.3% on 3-point accuracy in the whole game, but the Spartans were only shooting 25% in the first half.

The start of the second half was similar to the start of the game. The Bears had a 7-0 run, taking an 8-point lead with 17:28 left in the game. Head Coach Todd McGuinness quickly called a 30 second timeout to talk to the team. The conversation seemed to spark some energy as second-year forward Umar Rashid hit a 3-pointer to score the Spartans’ first points of this half, chipping away at the deficit.

The Bears didn’t back down on either side of the ball, putting CWRU in a 55-46 hole with 11:54 remaining in the game. 20 seconds later, Rashid hit another 3-pointer after a strong defensive stop to put the team back in good spirits. With 7:10 left in the game, graduate student guard Danny Frauenheim made a 3-pointer that pulled CWRU within 1 point of tying the game.

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Springfest’s Battle of the Bands bursts into Thwing Ballroom

Shejuti Wahed Video Editor

This past Friday, I felt as though I was an extra on the set of “Lemonade Mouth” or even a “Pitch Perfect” movie. While I was taking my time setting up interviews in a corner of Thwing 201 with The Observer video team, several student musicians were bustling about the makeshift green room with nervous energy in preparation for their upcoming performances in Springfest’s highly-anticipated Battle of the Bands. Each year, student musicians showcase their talents by competing against each other for the coveted opener spot in Case Western Reserve University’s annual Springfest concert—the biggest event on campus.

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