On Feb. 11 the Arts and Science Undergraduate Society (ASUS) hosted the first ever ArtSci Cup basketball game at the ARC.
In the weeks leading up to the game, ASUS held tryouts, found coaches, and started fundraising for the Canadian Cancer Society, who would be the featured charity at the event. The game saw an Arts team and a Science team duke it out on the court—with Science emerging victorious.
As hype around the game grew, so did fan interest. The tickets sold out and students packed the ARC ready to cheer on their respective teams.
The game started off slow, with both teams making juvenile mistakes. Both sides struggled to make a layup or set up a functioning offense. However, the players eventually shook their nerves and found their rhythm as they fought for the cup.
At half, Science had barely pulled ahead because they dominated the glass and their second chance shots started to drop. The scoreboard read 31-30.
“It’s just going to be a back-and-forth game all the way out. We just need to make sure our defence is solid, and we tire them out,” George Melika-Abusefien, Science head coach, said at half. “We’ve been out working them on the glass the whole way out.”
During half, The Journal also spoke with Arts Coach Scott Jenkins, who believed that Arts still had potential to take over the game and nail down a win.
“[We need to] stay locked in on defense, keep the ball moving on offense. We had more success when we were driving into the pains of settling for shots.”
“We’re coming for you guys,” Jenkins told the Science team as he hustled into the locker room with the other coaches.
Science started the second half off strong and built a 10-point lead over Arts.
However, the rivalry wouldn’t end that easily. Arts came out gunning for the lead and tied the game at 58 with six minutes left in the fourth quarter. Excellent fourth quarter adjustments coupled with some avoidable mistakes from Science helped Arts take a two-point lead.
With two minutes left, Science had their work cut out for them. They fought hard and made some critical free throws to keep them in the game.
Once they gained some momentum, they were unstoppable. Science finished off the game at 67-63, and the team flooded the court to celebrate the win.
“The atmosphere was crazy, we pulled ahead a bit and then they came back. I think that was good for the fans and fun for us too. It was really cool to represent Science,” Daniel Deletsu, a Science player, said in a post-game interview.
After the game, Gili Golan, one of Arts’ top scorers, told The Journal the rivalry isn’t over.
“Definitely going to be some word chirping on the classroom and campus now. I hope it’s gonna get more and more competitive, and I think it should be fun.”
Angus Hall of Science shared a similar excitement for the event.
“This is history, and I can’t be happier to do it with this group of guys […] it all came down to teamwork, dedication, concentration, and delivery. Thank God we came out with the dub.”
ASUS is hoping the game ignites a friendly rivalry between Arts and Science students, similar to the long-standing Commerce and Engineering interfaculty rivalry.
Dean Barbara Crow has been crucial in facilitating the game’s success. She sponsored ticket prices to make them more affordable to students and hosted the pre-game press conference.
“It was fantastic to see so many students out and such evenly matched teams. It was so wonderful post-Covid to be out at an event like this,” Crow said.
After the court cleared out at the end of the night, Science had just one message left for Arts: “Better luck next year.”
Tags
ARC, Arts and science, ArtSci Cup, Asus, Basketball
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