CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu and Punjab, one of the most played recent fixtures in the final of the senior basketball nationals (men), will face each other for the sixth time since 2000. After Punjab eased past Karnataka, the hosts held their end of the bargain by wiping the floor with Indian Railway.
The match was touted to be close but the nine-time champions, led by India international H Muin Bek, opened up a big lead in the first quarter and never surrendered that advantage. Muin, who doesn’t have the physique of a cager, more than makes up for that with the way he shoots from three point land. At the Nehru Indoor Stadium on Saturday night, his three three-pointers in the opening nine minutes set the game up perfectly. In all, he scored a game high 26 points (six three pointers) to help TN, the only remaining unbeaten team in the men’s section, win 93-70. Punjab, battling indifferent form, rose to the occasion with a no-frills 88-78 win over Karnataka.
Indian Railway vs Telangana
Telangana survived a thriller against Kerala to set up a final date with Indian Railway, one of the most dominant women’s teams across sports in the country. Telangana, who last featured in a final in 2017, and Kerala, comprising three active India internationals, were locked in a see-saw battle. They traded leads 16 times before Kerala eventually ran out of time to find that extra basket. They lost 78-81.For Telangana, the key player was Priyanka P whose 33 points stole the show.
In the day’s first semifinal, TN women competed admirably before going down 88-115. The defending champions rode on S Pushpa’s excellent throwing from the paint (nine from 12) as well as from the free throw line (six from eight) to finish with 24 points on the night.