Friday night ushered in the close of the 2014 men’s intramural basketball season with a 73-57 victory for the Knights. The championship game hosted two different and diverse teams. The Knights, leading in points scored per game, entered the game with a 10-2 season. Their dagger-like shooting and hard work through the entirety of the game led to their victory over the No. 1-ranked powerhouse Rams. The Rams dominated in their 12-0 regular season with a unique mix of size and speed; but those qualities weren’t enough to complete the perfect season.

“Our goal going into the game was to play lockdown defense and quick, efficient offense,” the Knights’ Bradley Nelson said.

These two factors proved to be key in dissolving the Rams’ quickness and momentum. Right from the start, the Knights had a presence that the Rams couldn’t counter. The Knights were successful in finding the balance between a strong, defensive presence and an effective, resourceful offense.

“Although we were leading the entire game, we never let up. The Rams were down by big margins the last two games, but they came back to win both,” Nelson said. “We were not going to let them do that to us as well.”

The Rams’ offense was looking in all directions on Friday night. Their usually consistent outside shooting was out of rhythm, and their forwards couldn’t capitalize in the paint. Despite sophomore Micah Gold’s 22 points, the Rams’ offense was out of sync. But the Knights were calm, cool and collected. They dominated the game’s momentum to spoil the Rams’ perfect season. The Knights defeated the Rams, capturing their society’s first-ever championship.

“I think most people doubted whether we could really compete with the [Rams],” Nelson said. “It was nice proving to ourselves and to others that not only could we complete, but that we could win and do so with authority.”