After a 1-0 start to the season with only four players, Family Part 2 fell just short, 73-65, against SHPE after a high-intensity game. Biomedical sciences senior Farris Safadi scored 48 points to keep the team close down the stretch despite missing a fifth player on the court.
Playing four-on-five, the team fell behind early but never failed to keep it close. Fatigue and a crucial foul at the end kept the team from coming out on top. A frenzy of scoring beyond the arc and around the rim kept the crowd engaged from start to finish Sunday night.
“Going into the game with four players, there’s a mental barrier there,” Safadi said.
The game started slow for Family Part 2, behind 6-0 after the first three minutes. After getting on the board with a free throw, Safadi hit two 3-pointers and two shots inside for an 11-8 lead. Another scoring drought ended the quarter 16-11, SHPE.
The second quarter was the start of a long back-and-forth. SHPE had great ball movement and got multiple fast break opportunities, while Family Part 2 held close with a trio of 3-pointers by Safadi to tie it at 22. Both teams rained down 3-pointers to end the half 31-29, SHPE.
SHPE got off to a hot start in the second half, taking the lead 39-31, but Family Part 2 answered back with an 8-0 run to tie it up. With Family Part 2 down by a point towards the end of the third quarter, the teams went shot for shot to eventually give Family Part 2 the 54-52 lead to end the quarter.
The fourth quarter started with education senior Abby Ross and mechanical engineering senior Nima Samiya scoring 9 straight for Family Part 2 for a 63-62 lead with three minutes left in the game. Down 2 points with one minute left, Safadi attempted to take a charge but got called for a blocking foul, his fifth, taking him out of the game. After two made free throws by SHPE and with Family Part 2 down to only three players, it fell short.
“Next game, we are gonna be battling hard,” Safadi said. “We got some people coming off injury reserve. We’re pretty excited about that.”
Family Part 2 is scheduled to play Lights Out on Sunday, March 3 at 9:45 p.m. in the Rec Center.
Ethan Brown is a sport management senior and contributed this article from the course JOUR 359, Reporting Sports, to The Battalion.
