To help kick off Case Western Reserve University’s bicentennial celebration on Friday, Feb. 7, the Spartan men’s basketball team donned the red jerseys of the Western Reserve Red Cats for their game against the University of Rochester. Their red jerseys on Friday, the brown jerseys of the Case Institute of Technology Rough Riders and the women’s teams’ yellow jerseys of Mather College were part of the Throwback Weekend celebration remembering CWRU’s rich history. Friday’s game saw the stands packed as many friends and family came to watch the Spartans play.
Following Rochester’s loss at home the previous week, the Yellowjackets came determined to redeem themselves as they stepped onto Horsburgh Gymnasium’s court last Friday. The energy was high and the competition was fierce as the two teams met on the hardwood.
The Spartans recovered an early Yellowjackets lead after a few 3-point shots by fourth-year forward Umar Rashid and third-year guard Anand Dharmarajan. They maintained the lead until the Yellowjackets tied the score at 19-19 with 9:42 left in the first half. From then, the two teams would be neck and neck as they traded points before the Yellowjackets found their rhythm and broke ahead. As the buzzer sounded, a 3-point shot from fourth-year guard Sam Trunley cut the deficit to 41-46 as the Spartans headed to the locker room.
The Spartans fought valiantly to cut the deficit and tied the score within two minutes into the second half. The two teams would tie the score four more times before a 9-0 Rochester run put the Yellowjackets ahead 72-63 with 8:28 left on the clock. As the clock ticked down, the Spartans saw a renewed burst of energy and began cutting their 10-point deficit.
The filled CWRU stands were on the edges of their seats as a pair of free throws from graduate student forward Andy Barba gave the Spartans a 87-86 lead with 0:37 left on the clock. However, the Yellowjackets responded by sinking the next three of four free throws to take the win.
On Sunday, Feb. 9, the men’s basketball team faced No. 11-ranked Emory University. During the 2023-2024 season, the Spartans had defeated the Eagles in their two conference matchups. This season, the Spartans dropped both games to the nationally ranked team.
The Spartans had a short-lived lead after Dharmarajan sank a 3-point shot to place CWRU up 3-2. However, the Eagles dominated the rest of the game and pulled away soon after. The closest the squad came to turning the tides occurred with 12:45 left on the clock. First-year guard Matthew Ellis connected a shot from beyond the arc to bring the Spartans within 1 point of Emory. However, yet again, the Eagles pulled away. This time they extended their lead, going 44-19 into halftime. Emory’s dominating performance continued into the second half, eventually culminating into a 93-54 win for the Eagles.
Concluding the game, Ellis led the team in points with a total of 13 while the two captains Rashid and Trunley led the squad in rebounds and assists with 7 and 4, respectively.
The Spartans will host their final home games of the season in Horsburgh this upcoming weekend. On Feb. 14, the Spartans will celebrate their graduating fourth-years—Rashid and Trunley—before facing No. 19-ranked Washington University in St. Louis. The following Sunday, they will meet the No. 24-ranked University of Chicago on the court.