UBA Pro Basketball League Season 2, Hyderabad Leg- Day 4 Chennai Slam and Pune Peshwas qualify to the knockouts
Hyderabad, 26th March 2016: The last day of league matches from the United Basketball Alliance (UBA) Pro Basketball League 2016 is in progress at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad. Pune Peshwas have beaten Chennai Slam 77-74 in an exciting encounter from the South Division.
Present on the occasion were chief guests, Telugu actor Nikhil Siddhartha and former Senior Indian Men’s team captain Mohammed Rizwan. Mr Rizwan spoke about how the UBA has grown over the last season and requested all players to be positive and play a clean game.
“I love basketball and am so happy I am here,” said Nikhil Siddhartha. Complimenting the athletes, he added, “These guys are professionals and play at the national and international level. Their level of play is so high.”
Pune Peshwas bt Chennai Slam 77-74
The final day of the league stages in Season 2 began with last season’s finalists, Pune Peshwas and defending champions Chennai Slam taking on each other in a battle for first place in the southern division. Well aware that the top spot would ensure a direct entry into the semifinals, both teams came out with playoff-type desperation.
Centre Ravi Kumar was seen back in the starting lineup for the Peshwas alongside forward/ centre Gaurav Ohlan. Pune also started with a three-guard lineup with Ajinkya Mane, Siddhanth Shinde and Narender Grewal. Chennai stuck to their usual starting five, which has resulted in 4 wins out of the 6 games they have played. Slam centre Gopal Ram started the game well, taking advantage of mismatches down low to score in the paint. Gopal was complemented well by Niagerain baller Agu who was able to penetrate the Pune defense to either score or create for his teammates.
Chennai went up by 10 points at the end of the first quarter and kept their momentum going in the second quarter as well. Pune found it difficult to handle Agu’s speed and athleticism, while Gopal Ram earned his points on the charity stripe, shooting 12 of 14 on the freethrow line for the game. Forward Ramkumar came off the bench to knock down a couple of triples in the first half to further build Chennai’s lead. Slam ended the first half up 42 to 29 and Pune had a lot of work to do to come back in the contest.
In the second half, Pune coach Nandu Mehta scored a masterstroke by putting in veteran reserve guard Karna Mehta. His instant offense sparked the Pune comeback. Karna was unconscious from the field knocking down all his shots in the second half. Guards Siddhanth Shinde and Narender Grewal also stepped up their game in the third quarter knocking down shots from the inside and the outside. Pune ended the third quarter up by 6 points 57 to 51.
In the fourth, Chennai’s Gopal (24 points) fought valiantly in the paint, trying to regain the lead for his team. But 8 straight points by Karna Mehta (16 points), coupled with some late buckets by centre Ravi Kumar maintained Pune’s slim lead. The Peshwas closed out on a 77-74 victory, finishing the league stages on a high note. Karna Mehta deservedly earned the player of the match honours. The results of the second south division game today would determine the final standings.
Pune Peshwas (Siddhanth Shinde 19pts, Karna Mehta 16pts, Gaurav Ohlan 14pts) btChennai Slam (Gopal Ram 24pts, Chukwunanu Agu 16pts 6asts, Ashutosh Rai 11pts 12rbs) 77-74 (11-21, 18-21, 28-9, 20-23)
Late evening result from 25th March: Delhi Capitals bt Mumbai Challengers 104-94
Teams from two of India’s biggest cities, Mumbai Challengers and Delhi Capitals, squared off against each other today in their last league stage game. Delhi Capitals hold the best record in the tournament (5-1) and was looking to maintain their top position in the northern division. The Challengers, with a 4-2 record, were gunning for the top spot in their group to ensure a direct qualification to the semifinals.
With their starting centre Ramesh sitting out this game, Delhi began the game with forward Yudhvir Singh in the frontcourt along with Smithin Setu. The move immediately paid off for Delhi, as Yudhvir scored 6 quick points in the first quarter. Guard Vinay Kaushik continued his MVP calibre run driving aggressively to the basket. For the Challengers, point guard Prudhvi Reddy found his touch from long range in the first period and swingman Karan Pal Singh came off the bench to knock down consecutive triples. The first quarter ended with Delhi up 28 to 20.
Vinay Kaushik continued his momentum into the second quarter, fearlessly driving to the basket and earning his points at the freethrow line. Mumbai, however, continued plugging away into Delhi’s lead. Centre Gagandeep Singh used his size and dexterity to finish at the basket. Shooting guard Ranbir Singh knocked down two huge triples to further cut into Delhi’s lead in the second quarter. But a couple of timely triples from young guard Sunil Rathee off the bench helped maintain the Capitals’ lead with the halftime score at 50 to 40.
In the third quarter, athletic forward Nikhil Dahiya (20 points and 11 rebounds) caught fire for Mumbai knocking down turnaround jumpers and grabbing second chance points. Mumbai centre Gagandeep remained consistent producing points from the post. Unfortunately, however, Delhi brought out its X-factor, forward Satyajeet, from the bench, who unexpectedly put up 12 points in the third quarter alone. His off-the-ball movement ensured that he was always in the right place at the right time to find easy buckets. He even ended the third quarter with a spectacular two-handed dunk at the buzzer to give the Capitals a huge momentum boost going into the fourth.
Mumbai did make an attempted comeback in the fourth quarter with some huge triples from point guard Prudhvi Reddy (17 points). But it was too little too late, as Delhi kept finding its way to the basket, shooting above 50% from the field against a non-existent Mumbai defense down the stretch. Delhi ended up hitting the century mark and finished the league stages on the top of their group. They now get a direct entry into the semifinals, while Mumbai will have to cross a playoff hurdle first.
Delhi Capitals (Vinay Kaushik 22pts 10rbs, Yudhvir Singh 14pts 11rbs, Satyajeet 13pts, Sachin Sharma 12pts 5asts) bt Mumbai Challengers (Gagandeep Singh 24pts, Nikhil Dahiya 20pts 11rbs, Karan Pal Singh 20pts, Prudhvi Reddy 17pts 4asts) 104-94 (28-20, 22-20, 24-23, 30-31)
About the UBA Pro Basketball League
The UBA Pro Basketball League is structured on a league cum knockout basis. Season 2 is being held in two phases: 18 to 28 Feb in Pune (Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex) followed by 23 March to 3 April in Hyderabad (Gachibowli Stadium). There are eight teams in total divided into two divisions: Pune Peshwas, Delhi Capitals, Haryana Gold, Punjab Steelers (North division) and Chennai Slam, Mumbai Challengers, Bengaluru Beast and Hyderabad Sky (South division). Chennai Slam won the inaugural season last year with Pune Peshwas finishing second.
About United Basketball Alliance India Pvt. Ltd.
The United Basketball Alliance (UBA India) is a next-generation sports branding company. Its main objective is to make sport brands mean something to their sport viewers. To do that, UBA helps brands connect with viewers by providing insight-driven ideas across all media platforms. With respect to its Pro Basketball League, UBA India has already secured primetime television broadcasting arrangements with the Ten Sports Network, and is securing corporate sponsorships for tournament play, and creating merchandising opportunities.
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