After a tumultuous league stage, the top four teams in the competition were left to battle for the title. In the northern division, table toppers Delhi Capitals and winners of the playoff match, Mumbai Challengers, squared off in the first semifinal of a best-of-three series.
Agencies
Hyderabad
Mumbai Challengers defeated Delhi Capitals 75-69 in the first of the three semi-finals from north division at the United Basketball Alliance (UBA) Pro Basketball League Season 2 at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, here on Monday.
After a tumultuous league stage, the top four teams in the competition were left to battle for the title. In the northern division, table toppers Delhi Capitals and winners of the playoff match, Mumbai Challengers, squared off in the first semifinal of a best-of-three series.
Both teams began the game running their offense through the big men. Delhi Capitals centre Ramesh achieved good paint position down low to score. Mumbai forward Nikhil Dahiya’s mid-range game was strong, scoring the first 4 of his team’s points. Shooting guard Ranbir Singh continued from where he left off in the playoff game, nailing his first triple attempt early. Veteran forward Jagdeep Bains stretched the floor for Mumbai in the first half, draining a couple of triples from the top of the key. On the other end, Ramesh kept plugging away in the post to give Delhi a slim lead at the end of the first quarter 18 to 16.
In the second quarter, Mumbai’s Jagdeep and Ranbir took over the game scoring at will against the Delhi defense. Jagdeep used his size and skill, while Ranbir used his athleticism to penetrate and finish in the paint. Having the ability to knock down shots from long range as well, Delhi found these two players a nightmare to guard. A couple of late strikes, including a triple, from backup guard Brar Dildar off the bench helped Mumbai outscore Delhi 27 to 14 in the second quarter.
Down by 11 points entering the second half, Delhi began to cut down Mumbai’s lead with their forwards contributing buckets. Ramesh (11 points) continued to find success in the post, while frontcourt mate Smithin Setu was able to create space to knock down his mid-range jumpers. Guard Vinay Kaushik added to his team’s scoring with another long-range shot in the third period. Jagdeep and centre Gagandeep kept the boat afloat for Mumbai combining to score almost all of their team’s third quarter buckets. Mumbai’s strong paint presence was a game-changer today with 46 of their team’s points coming in the paint compared to only 22 paint points for Delhi. Delhi’s small lineup found it difficult to contain the Mumbai frontcourt through the game.
With Mumbai’s lead still in single digits at the end of the third quarter, Delhi had its sights set on a comeback. Vinay Kaushik led his team’s attack penetrating with force and continuing to hit from 3-point range. Delhi guard Ajay Singh came off the bench to ignite his team with a quick 7 points, including some acrobatic layups. But Mumbai had too many offensive weapons for Delhi to contain. Jagdeep Bains was a force to reckon with in the paint today muscling his way to the bucket. Nikhil Dahiya (14 points) stepped up in the final minutes, knocking down clutch turnaround jumpers to score 8 fourth quarter points.
Mumbai ended up clinching the first game of the series with a 75-69 victory. Jagdeep Bains received the player of the match honours, with a cash prize of Rs 25,000.
Brief Scores
Mumbai Challengers (Jagdeep Bains 24pts, Ranbir Singh 14pts, Nikhil Dahiya 14pts, Gagandeep Singh 10pts 10rbs) bt Delhi Capitals (Vinay Kaushik 16pts 5asts, Smithin Setu 14pts, Ramesh 11pts, Ajay Singh 11pts) 75-69 (16-18, 27-14, 13-16, 19-21)
