Hung Jury (2-0) defeated Phi Psi (1-1) 44-35 in a battle of Loyola intramural basketball league favorites on Feb. 9.

After Phi Psi took a 12-0 lead to start the game, Hung Jury, a team composed entirely of Loyola law school students, came charging back on the back of bench player Michael Garcia. “I think the substitution of Michael Garcia into the game is what brought us back. He provided the ‘extra pass’ to our two leading scorers Alex Sasieta and Teva Sempel,” Hung Jury captain Daniel Perez said.

Garcia was able to distribute the ball to Hung Jury’s two potent scorers: Sasieta and Sempel, who are two of the three players that make up Hung Jury’s “Big Three.” The third member of the “Big Three,” center Matthew Murphy, anchors the paint. “He is the third piece to our ‘Big Three’, [and] he is better known as ‘Big Red,'” Perez said.

While the play of the “Big Three” drew the praise of Perez, he also acknowledged that the team’s success relies on its role players. “We have a great point guard in Brandon Juneau. He is a great passer, and every great passer needs his combo guard. Brandon’s combo guard is Patrick Follette, famously known for his ‘baseline domination,'” Perez said.

Phi Psi forward Eric Walsh, A’10, discussed his concern regarding his team’s lack of height prior to the contest with Hung Jury, and it turned out that Hung Jury’s size allowed them to dominate the paint. “Due to our size advantage, the paint is where we did most of our damage,” Perez said.

Despite being recognized by their peers as the best team in the Loyola intramural basketball league, the members of Hung Jury are able to focus on the bigger picture. “We are a humble team that takes each game one at a time. We enjoy playing great competition, and we are willing to play whoever is put in front of us,” Perez said.

Richard Dempsey can be reached at [email protected]