UBA Pro Basketball: Mumbai Challengers beat Delhi Capitals in Game 1 of semifinals

Indian international Jagdeep Bains led from the front as the Mumbai Challengers edged the Delhi Capitals 75-69, taking the lead in Game 1 of their best-of-three 2016 UBA Pro Basketball semifinal played at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad. The forward was also adjudged as the player of the match; he finished with a game high 24 points and also had 7 rebounds as he performed the captain's role to perfection.

It was a closely fought match and although league toppers Delhi made the first breakthrough via Ramesh, it was playoff winners Mumbai who charged ahead early in the first quarter. Mumbai's forward Nikhil scored 4 points and led his team a 4-2 lead. Shooting guard Ranbir Singh, who played the entire game, then put Mumbai further ahead with a brilliant shot from outside the perimeter, registering the game's first three pointer.

Although Delhi attempted to get back and break their opponents' momentum, Mumbai scored another three pointer, this time it was skipper Jagdeep doing the honours. The score was now 10-5 to the Challengers. However, everything changed after the first time out of the match.

With 4:57 remaining on the clock, Sunil came on for Delhi and donning the #1 on his back, he had an immediate impact, scoring a fantastic three pointer just moments after entering this court. He, then, went on to assist Ramesh to get Delhi within two points of Mumbai. Delhi then turned the tables with a late surge, with point guard Sachin finishing off a great dribble with a basket to tie the scores.

In the second quarter, Mumbai got back to their best, putting the first quarter far behind. In hindsight, it was their performance in this quarter that gave Mumbai the win. Jagdeep and Ranbir were instrumental, scoring 11 and 7 points respectively in the quarter to pull the Challengers ahead.

Big man Jagdeep used his physical presence to great effect and held his team together. His opposite number, Delhi captain Sachin was not far behind. Despite his team seemingly falling behind, he did well to put spirit back in the Capital hearts. He scored a triple and also assisted Ajay Singh with a visionary pass.

But, despite Delhi's efforts, it was a quarter that had Mumbai's name on it. Guard Dildar came off the bench to help Mumbai to 5 points with less than a minute to go. His pace during the turnovers was too quick for Delhi and he also downed a three, with Mumbai going into halftime with a 43-32 lead.

Delhi began the third quarter, looking to reduce the 11-point deficit. Forwards Ramesh and Smithin managed to keep Delhi at Mumbai's tails, scoring 7 points between them early on, while Ramesh also missed a free throw. Guard Vinay Kaushik also contributed to Delhi's comeback effort, scoring five points including a triple.

The match was beginning to heat up and tensions flared, leading to a minor scuffle between Jagdeep and Smithin. centre Gagandeep kept the boat afloat for Mumbai combining to score almost all of their team’s third quarter buckets. Despite seeing their lead cut, Mumbai kept going with Jagdeep and Gagandeep combining to score 11 points.

Going into the final quarter, Delhi was behind 48-56. The Challengers went on the offensive; Vinay Kaushik and Ajay Singh both scored triples and marshaled the effort. Ajay Singh in particular showed off his repertoire of layups but it was always going to be a difficult task.

Mumbai never seemed like letting go of their advantage. Their skipper Jagdeep Bains was once again the man of the moment, helping himself to more buckets to keep Delhi at bay. With Delhi missing free throws at crucial junctures, Mumbai's Nikhil earned his team 8 points after the midway point. A late rally saw Delhi cut the 11-point lead to 6 but Mumbai kept their composure to see off the game. The final score was 75-69 and Delhi now face a do-or-die Game 2 on Tuesday.

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)