After leading her co-rec team to a victory Tuesday night, Ellie Larson scored nine points in a two-minute stretch, and 15 overall, to lead Fresh Theta to a 34-25 victory against Kappa Delta 1.

The victory gave Fresh Theta the women’s greek intramural title and capped off a dominating tournament run. To get to the finals, Theta defeated Delta Gamma, 57-21, and Tri Delta, 64-11.

At the start of the game, it appeared that it was going to be a high-scoring match, but both teams tightened down their defenses, and the officials started calling more fouls, slowing the pace.

Neither team got into foul trouble, but there were still plenty of free throw opportunities. Theta capitalized, going 77 percent from the free throw line as opposed to Kappa Delta’s 50 percent.

Towards the end of the first half, the score stagnated at 11-8, but Theta kept getting the ball to its shooters.

“Even though the shots weren’t falling, I thought that we were still pressing them well,” Kristi Charlson, Lincoln, Neb., senior, said. “We were still taking the shots we wanted.”

The strategy paid off, and Larson started a Theta run before halftime. She made one three-point shot and then made another on her team’s next possession.

Theta came out of halftime with a 14-11 lead, and Larson took the opportunity to deliver a knockout blow to Kappa Delta. She scored three three-point shots in a two-minute stretch, sparking a 21-3 Theta run.

Kappa Delta cut the lead to seven with a series of second-chance baskets and free throws.

“They had us running for a little while,” Larson said.

Following a time-out at the four-minute mark, the Thetas returned to the airtight defense that earned the lead in the first place. They forced jump balls on two consecutive Kappa Delta possessions and kept scoring down until the final whistle blew.

The victory gives Fresh Theta the championship that it came one game short of winning last year.

It was the most attended of all six intramural finals, with both sororities bringing a bleacher-full of fans and supporters.

The game had a true Allen Fieldhouse feel, with the cheering sections displaying signs, chanting for their teams and getting behind the basket to distract free throw shooters.

“It seemed easier to play in the Fieldhouse,” Charlson said. “We were able to spread the ball out, and it was more wide open.”

The team took home the championship in a convincing fashion, winning with sharp passing and making enough shots to never fall behind.

Theta’s average margin of victory in the playoffs was 33 points.