The Phi Kappa Pi Rams remained unbeaten last Friday night, as they took on the Beta Gamma Delta Patriots in their second meeting of the season. The Rams, who narrowly defeated the Patriots in their previous encounter, found a way to edge past the Patriots again, this time 40-37.

Phi Kappa was missing several key players against Beta Gamma, including senior Tyler Smith and brothers Manny and Conor Rivero, all three of whom have played a big part in the team’s success. Fortunately for the Rams, sophomore Micah Gold was there to fill the void, leading all scorers with 30 of the Rams’ 40 points, including 21 of their 23 second-half points.

Although Gold appeared to overwhelm Beta’s defense, Beta sophomore Eric Moisant gave Phi Kappa’s defense some problems of its own. He scored 16 points, with 9 coming from behind the arch. Beta played a strong first half, holding the Rams to just 17 points, and they went into the second half with a 4-point lead at 21-17.

Although they fell behind in the second half, the Patriots were persistent on offense and mostly held it to a one-possession game.

As the final minutes of the game turned to seconds, the Patriots found themselves down by one, 38-37, with just 46 seconds on the clock and the Rams taking possession of the ball. After running down as much time as possible, it was Gold who made his way to the basket, putting the Rams up by three, 40-37, with just 12.1 seconds remaining in the game.

After a Beta timeout, the Patriots quickly made their way down the court and gave the ball to Moisant, who had a good look from the arch. His shot fell short of the mark, however, and Beta fell after a last-second heave.

The Rams are 8-0 on the season and maintain the No. 1 ranking. Beta now falls to 6-3, including two losses to the Rams.