In a high scoring match, Haryana Gold kept their lead since the beginning of the game to beat Chennai Slam 109-100 in the UBA Pro Basketball League Season 3 at the Balewadi Sports Complex in Pune on Monday.
Haryana were in full swing in the first quarter. Thanks to Prakash Mishra who scored 3 three-pointers, putting his team in the lead throughout the first quarter. Chennai banked mostly on the fouls of Haryana scoring frequently of their free throws. Jairam was on his front foot scoring as much as 8 points for Chennai in the beginning. Haryana continued their dominance as the led 31-28 in the first quarter.
Haryana Gold were still dictating terms in the second quarter but at the same time, the northern team made as much as 12 fouls which credited their opponents Chennai. Agu was making the most for Chennai as he scored two, three pointers which surely encouraged his team. Meanwhile, Prakash continued his good form manoeuvring through the Chennai’s tacky defense. Yet, Haryana steered the match as they led by three points (54-51) just before half time.
In the third quarter, both the teams piled up on their one or two pointers which amassed a good total. Chennai finally started playing as a team, as their shooters started taking up lead. There were times when Chennai were leading by one or two points, but that was short lived. Haryana’s Himanshu started showing his true colours, as he began pushing his team to accumulate a good total. Haryana maintained their cool even though they were committing fouls to continue their lead 76-69 by the end of Q3.
Chennai looked low on confidence in the fourth quarter as Haryana kept them on their back foot. In the end, Haryana beat Chennai 109-100. Prakash was awarded the man of the match for his brilliant performance as he scored a total of 34 points with a six three-pointers.
Doing the signature Punjabi step after a great win, Haryana coach Pawan Kumar celebrated their winning run. Talking to Sportskeeda after the match, he said, “Prakash was the star player for us. He was leading his team the right. Hope he continues his form.” Talking about the number of fouls, Pawan informed, “They are young players, they get excited to score. I am happy that we won in the end.”
Results: Haryana Gold (Prakash Mishra 34pts, Himanshu Sharma 18pts, Akashdeep 10pts) bt Chennai Slam (Agu 27pts, Ram Kumar 13pts, Jairam 22pts) (31-28, 54-51, 76-69, 109-100)
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