Punjab Steelers stole victory from the undefeated Delhi Capitals, beating them 86-58 on the penultimate day of the UBA Professional Basketball league at the Balewadi Sports Complex here on Saturday.
After Chennai, who were riding high, tasted their first defeat, it was the turn of another unchallenged side, Delhi, who succumbed to the onslaught of their opponents. Although both Delhi and Chennai tasted defeats, Delhi surrendered meekly (26 points) but, Chennai went down fighting to hosts Pune by just four points, in the encounter which went down to the wire.
Gurvinder Gill, Garry as he is better known, was the man behind Punjab’s success story of the day. Gill, who was later adjudged as the player-of-the-match, spearheaded the team’s run. His three-pointers accompanied by assists played a vital role in putting Delhi on the ropes.
Delhi failed to assert themselves throughout the game. And with their main striker Sachin Verma out on the bench, Delhi’s bench strength failed to prove their mettle. During his time on the court, Sachin failed to showcase his brilliance as he had an unusual off day.
The game was all but over at the end of the third session with Delhi trailing by 18 points, as the undefeated side took the beating surprising many followers.
Walking on the court for the last time, Delhi, who were 18 points behind, failed to show glimpses of an undefeated side. Gurvinder Gill took control of the game and was well supported by his team-mates as they cantered past rivals 86-58 to record an overwhelming victory.
It was very clear that Punjab’s morale had boosted after their first victory against Haryana Gold and they regained their winning way as they went into the game. On the other hand Delhi seemed to have been over confident as they were looking to keep their slate clean with their fifth straight win.
Punjab Steelers 86 ( Akilan Pari 27, Gurvinder Gill 23, Amrit Pal Singh 14) bt Delhi Capitals: 58 (Ramesh 14, Vinay Kaushik 12, Yudhvir Singh 7) 86-58
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