The Hindu : Sport : Tamil Nadu enters quarterfinals

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Monday, Dec 24, 2007
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Tamil Nadu enters quarterfinals

G. Prasad

Karnataka’s late surge cannot stop Services

— Photo: T. Singaravelou

ACTION PACKED: Karnataka’s Subbiah and Umashankar try to block the Services team from scoring a point.

PUDUCHERRY: Tamil Nadu became the first team to enter the men’s quarterfinals and also the first to reach the century-mark at the on-going 58th National basketball championship here on Sunday. In a high scoring men’s Group B super-league match Tamil Nadu defeated Rajasthan 105-102.

As in the earlier matches, Tamil Nadu got off to a flying start, thanks to its forwards who went on a scoring spree.

Minor lapse

Having gained a 19-point lead at the end of the second quarter, a minor lapse in concentration allowed Rajasthan to bounce back. The latter’s cagers started attacking and converted three-pointers at will. They bridged the gap to nine points at 73-84 by the end of the third session.

But the Tamil Nadu hoopsters regrouped on time and made full use of the defensive errors committed by their opponents early in the final quarter to extend the lead. The big-hearted Rajasthan men went down fighting in the end.

Sukavaneshwaran (25 points) top scored for Tamil Nadu, while Nand Lal and Mahendra Hooda managed 27 apiece for Rajasthan.

Earlier, Karnataka’s late burst wasn’t good enough to stop Services in a men’s Group A super league fixture. The reigning champion won 60-57 after overcoming some anxious moments. Services had no problems in the beginning and the 40-27 score line at the half way mark indicated an easy win. However, Karnataka’s Nixon and Umashankar along with Srinivas Gowda started making some intelligent moves and penetrated the Services defence frequently. They reduced to just five points at the end of the third.

Nixon’s vital three pointers added pressure on the opposition. But the Services players held their nerve in a tense situation and saw the team through. Jairam Jatt top scored for the winner with 17 points.

In the women’s section, Indian Railways, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have booked a place in the quarterfinals.

The results: Men: Super-league: Group A: Services 60 (Jairam Jatt 17) bt Karnataka 57 (Nixon 20, Umashankar 16); Indian Railways 86 (Sandeep 18, Yadwinder 14, Saravanan 13) bt Assam 51 (Mukesh Kumar 22). Group B: Tamil Nadu 105 (Sukavaneshwaran 25, Chandrasekar 24, Vineeth Ravi Mathew 13) bt Rajasthan 102 (Nand Lal 27, Narendra Hooda 27, Mahendra Singh 26); Tamil Nadu 85 (Vineeth 15, Lokesh Yadhav 13) bt Kerala 56 (Bobit Mathew 13).

Qualifying league: Group C: Delhi 60 (Shiva 14, Saowinder 14, Sunil Kumar 11) bt West Bengal 43 (Sunas Bhattacharya 13). Group D: Haryana 57 (Pardeep 20, Anil Kumar 11) bt Goa 17. Group E: Uttar Pradesh 54 (Rudra Pratap 15, Amitesh Singh 13) bt Mizoram 24 (Zodin Thara 10); Chhattisgarh 50 (Parthan Singh 34) bt Jammu and Kashmir 40 (Iqbal Singh 12, Harpat Singh 10).

Women: Super-league: Group A: Indian Railways 94 (Shyamala 19, Geetu Anna Jose 14, Bharathi 12) bt Punjab 42 (Sarabji Kaur 14). Group B: Delhi 75 (Sheeba Maggam 27, Prashanthi Singh 23, Divya Singh 10) bt Chhattisgarh 62 (Binly Philip 21, Akansha Singh 12, M. Pushpa 12); Tamil Nadu 90 (Nithya 21, Sunitha Suren 16, Kokila 15, Mahalakshmi 10) bt Maharashtra 57 (Shweta 15).

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