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Mumbai Challengers win thriller, qualify for semis
The United Basketball Alliance (UBA) Pro Basketball League Season 2 witnessed exciting playoffs action at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium on Sunday in which Mumbai Challengers came from behind to beat Punjab Steelers 78-76 and qualify to the semifinals as the second placed team from the north division.
UBA Pro Basketball League Season 2
The United Basketball Alliance (UBA) Pro Basketball League Season 2 witnessed exciting playoffs action at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium on Sunday in which Mumbai Challengers came from behind to beat Punjab Steelers 78-76 and qualify to the semifinals as the second placed team from the north division.
Star attraction, actor Sushanth A even tried his hand at the sport and said, “I’m having a ball. They are playing really well. I got to see a slam dunk! I can’t dunk so I’m very impressed.”
After a scoring drought in the first two minutes owing to tight defense from both teams, Steelers’ guard Amrit Pal Singh opened the game’s scoring with a mid-range jumper.
Punjab jumped onto an early 10-2 lead, with forward Kaushal putting his post moves on display to score early buckets. For Mumbai, centre Gagandeep Singh came off the bench and was reliable as ever, going to work in the paint.
The second quarter began with a scoring battle between Punjab teammates centre Gurvinder Gill of the Steelers and Ranbir from the Challengers. But the period belonged to Challengers shooting guard who hit triple and made his way to the basket to score 10 points in the second period alone, putting his team up 39 to 34 at halftime.
Punjab’s never-give-up attitude was on show in the third quarter as they came out all guns blazing after halftime. In the final ten minutes, Mumbai started strong, desperate for a playoff spot after a disappointing first season.
Down by two points down the stretch, Gurvinder got his second slam of the game to tie the scores and ignite his team. A couple of possessions and an exchange of baskets later, Akilan Pari hit a huge and-1 3-pointer and completed the 4-point play to give his team a 1-point lead with a minute left in the game.
On the other end, Ranbir gets fouled and makes both of his freethrows to help Mumbai regain their lead. With the game tied at 76 apiece, Mumbai’s Jagdeep Bains used the up-and-under move to knock down a tough game-winning jumper.
Down 76 to 78 with 14 seconds left, Punjab were unable to find the bottom of the basket and Mumbai held on to clinch the victory. They now advance to the semifinals where they will face the Delhi Capitals in a best-of-three series.
