Targum defeats WRSU in 2nd annual spring basketball game

The Daily Targum took on WRSU for the second annual spring student media basketball game yesterday. Last year, in a reboot of the Rutgers journalism basketball classic, WRSU secured a close 6-point victory in the confines of Werblin Gym on Busch campus. This year, the Targum got its revenge and earned a 71-59 victory at Jersey Mike’s Arena on Livingston campus.

Rutgers, WRSU and Targum alumni Chris Tsakonas and Jake Schmied broadcasted the game for WRSU on wrsu.org and 88.7 FM. Rutgers alum Ed Kalegi was the public address announcer for the event and the Targum, and Rutgers alum and the Targum's former Head Sports Editor Brian Fonseca live-tweeted the contest.

The game featured self-calls and four quarters with a 12-minute running clock.

Before the contest, starting lineups were announced. In addition, WRSU’s coach was announced to be Brett Hawn, a School of Arts and Sciences senior, and the Targum's coach was announced to be Dylan McCoy, Rutgers alum and the Targum's former Head Sports Editor.

John Hartnett, a School of Management and Labor Relations junior, played the national anthem on bass as approximately 50 fans lined the stands of the arena to watch.

The game was a high-scoring intense affair that brought out the best of both sides. There was no lack of heart and only a small lack of skill shown by both teams.

The Targum got out to a quick start riding the hot hand of Edward Kalegi, a School of Arts and Students sophomore who writes for the Targum's sports desk and is also the incoming program director for WRSU. He scored 9 points in the first quarter, showing off his shooting prowess. Thanks to Edward Kalegi and Jack Bisaha, a School of Arts and Sciences senior and the Targum's former Associate Sports Editor, the Targum got out to a quick double-digit lead.

Late in the first quarter, WRSU fought back, courtesy of the play of Grant Langlois, a School of Arts and Sciences junior, who hit a pair of shots, secured some rebounds and had a vicious block.

Both teams would go back and forth in the second quarter, but the Targum went on a 6-0 run to close out the quarter to take a 38-24 lead into halftime.

Alex Carmenaty, a School of Arts and Sciences junior, a contributing writer for the Targum's sports desk and the incoming general manager for WRSU, gave a rousing rendition of Frank Sinatra's "Fly Me To The Moon" for the halftime show, which some even compared to Prince's iconic 2007 halftime show.

The second half proved to be more fast-paced offensive basketball, with both teams seemingly implementing an off-brand version of Mike D'Antoni’s historic 7 seconds or less offense.

In the third quarter Camden Markel, a School of Arts and Sciences sophomore and the Targum's Rutgers men’s lacrosse beat writer, flashed his fancy dribbling moves for the Targum. Jack Rabenhorst, a School of Arts and Sciences sophomore and the Targum's spring football beat writer, started scoring with Bisaha on the bench.

For WRSU, Gideon Fox, a School of Arts and Sciences senior and WRSU's current sports manager, and Hawn started getting more involved, scoring points in the paint.

With WRSU only down 10 points heading into the fourth quarter, the once-friendly game got physical. Ellis Gordon, a School of Arts and Sciences junior and the Targum's current Head Sports Editor, and Fox got into a wrestling match and hit the floor for a rebound. Josh Meyers, a School of Arts and Sciences sophomore and the Targum's current Associate Sports Editor, began jumping and screaming on the sidelines as the score of the contest tightened.

With 7 minutes left in the contest, Mary Mankowich, a School of Arts and Sciences junior and WRSU's current music directory, and Max Sanchez, a School of Arts and Sciences sophomore, hit shots and grabbed rebounds in an attempt to close WRSU’s gap but every time WRSU made a small run, Bisaha had an answer.

With the Targum up 7 points in the closing seconds of the second half, Bisaha drilled a half-court shot that can only be described as the second most important shot in Jersey Mike's Arena's history.

For WRSU, Langlois ended with a team-high 13 points, Fox scored 12 points and Hawn scored 11 points. For the Targum, Bisaha scored a team-high 30 points, Kalegi scored 11 points and Brian Delk, a School of Arts and Sciences sophomore and the Targum's current Head News Editor, proved to be a spark plug off the bench, as he scored 8 points.

As the final buzzer sounded, both teams shook hands, took pictures and exchanged hugs. Tsakonas and Schmied conducted post-game interviews as a successful spring media basketball game was concluded for the second year in a row.

With the series now tied at 1-1, both teams have agreed in principle to settle the score come the spring of 2024.