Punjabi Univ crowned champs of UBAU All India Inter-Zonal University Basketball Championship for Men 2017
Chandigarh, 21st February 2017: The UBAU All India Inter-Zonal University Basketball Championship for Men 2017 concluded earlier this evening at the indoor stadium in Chandigarh (Sector 42). Punjabi University, Patiala were crowned champions at home, beating Anna University, Chennai 78-54.
This prestigious Association of Indian Universities (AIU) Championship was organised by Universal Basketball Alliance India Pvt Ltd.
Sri Tarlok Singh Sandhu, former Olympian and India captain, who represented India at the 1980 Moscow Olympics and 1982 Asian Games was the chief guest for the finale. Other dignitaries included Joseph Damsker, Managing Director, Merchandising – Elite Universal Sports Alliance India Pvt Ltd (EUSAI); Sunday Zeller, co-founder - Universal Basketball Alliance & Elite Sports India Inc.; Riyaz Mulla, Managing Director India operations – ESI; Dr. Raj Kumar, President - EUSAI; Dr. Gurdeep Kaur, Director of Sports - Punjabi University.
The hosts and winners Punjabi University, Patiala received the prestigious Universal Basketball Alliance – University (UBAU) All India University trophy from Mr Sandhu, while, the runners up Anna University received their award from Dr. Raj Kumar.
Final Standings
1) Punjabi University, Patiala
2) Anna University, Chennai
3) Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi
4) University of Madras, Chennai
Punjabi University, Patiala bt Anna University, Chennai 78-54
As the crowd starting walking in to support the home team Punjabi University, the atmosphere in the stadium suddenly was electric. Good ball movement, quick transition and a stifling zone defence made for an exciting watch from the side-lines as Gurdit Singh of Punjabi University went to work on Anna University captain Harissh. Another engaging battle was between Daniel of Anna Univ and Gagandeep of Punjabi Univ. The crowd present in the stadium acted as the sixth man for Punjabi Univ as they cheered Dildar Singh’s acrobatic finishes mid-way through the first quarter. Meticulous play call and execution meant the game was close and both teams faced foul trouble. Solid defence by Gagandeep of Punjabi Univ had rattled opposition guard Daniel as Punjabi Univ ended the quarter with an 18-14 lead.
The start of the second quarter saw the pace continue and the teams run up and down. The play calling and execution was a sight to behold as both teams moved the ball and also made plays off the ball to set up team mates. Harissh of Anna Univ and Gurdit of Punjabi Univ battled each other in the paint to establish their dominance over the other. Many of the movements the players made in this period were with the sole purpose of drawing fouls off the opposition. Both teams used the 24 second shot clock well as plays were made deep into the clock. Good pressure defence and a couple of forced turnovers saw Anna Univ force a comeback but Punjabi Univ quickly called for a time out to thwart any such run.
Post the time-out, Punjabi Univ attacked the paint and earned free throws but struggled to score from the line and capitalise on the opportunity. Anna Univ continued to shoot from the outside and did enough to stay in the game. A major part of the rebounding load was carried by Venkatesh of Anna Univ who was one of the major reasons the team stayed in the game, however, his intensity meant that he often picked up fouls which resulted in free throws for Punjabi Univ. This spurred on Dildar Singh, Gagandeep and Abhi Kumar of Punjabi Univ to drive harder and as Anna Univ failed to cope with the pressure, they had to bench captain Harissh and no Venkatesh which led to Punjabi Univ stamping their authority over the game. The score at the half read 41-29 in favour of Punjabi Univ.
At the start of the third quarter, the duo of Dildar Singh and Gurdit came out strong and led the scoring charge. Things got worse for Anna Univ as Captian Harissh picked up an injury which side-lined him for the rest of the game, while Venkatesh, who was their only other rebounder soon fouled out. Harrish tried to check back into the game later, however, his injury would not let him continue. With Anna Univ losing two of its bigs, Punjabi Univ took full advantage feeding the ball to their big man Gurdit Singh on every single possession. Anna Univ tried to double him but he passed out the ball to his shooters who connected on all but one of their attempts. The quarter ended with the score board reading 60-37 in favour of Punjabi Univ.
Punjabi Univ secured the win by ensuring good ball movement and solid defence the rest of the way as they ended the night as champions with the final score 78-54.
Punjabi University, Patiala (Gurdit Singh 23 pts, Abhi Kumar 16pts) bt Anna University, Chennai (Venkatesh 7 pts, Harissh 6 points) 78-54 [18-14, 23-15, 19-08, 18-17]
3rd place match: Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi bt University of Madras, Chennai 90-62
The game started well as both teams looked to attack the paint and wrest control. Right from the tip off, Bhupender of Jamia Millia Islamia University got to work. He scored the first 5 baskets for his team as point guard Pulkit ensured that he found the hot hand on every possession. University of Madras had a sloppy start but did enough to stay in the game. Shooters Karthik and Sandeep carried the offense as Vijay struggled against the defensive presence of Bhupender and Harsh.
The start of the 2nd quarter saw things get sloppy. As fatigue set in, both teams struggled to make shots. There was a dry spell as both teams missed over 7 shots each to begin the quarter. The teams however displayed solid defence. Karthik of University of Madras continued his strong play and carried the offensive load as he scored mostly from fast breaks. On the other end, Bhupender responded by making tough shots and displaying his offensive arsenal. The quarter belonged to him as he scored all but 3 baskets during the quarter’s play. The half time score read 37 - 33 in favour of Jamia University.
In the 2nd half, Vijay came alive as he scored the opening two baskets for his team. However, he struggled defensively as well as on the boards. Abhudaya for Jamia Univ entered the scoring mix whereas Surya for Madras established his presence on the boards securing both offensive and defensive rebounds.
Jamia Univ continued to breakdown the Madras Univ defence with their ball movement and cuts to the hoop. Heamesh of Madras Univ caught fire and started shooting lights out. His attempt in forcing a comeback for Anna University was thwarted by a resilient Jamia defence. Bhupender of Jamia Univ started scoring on the Madras Univ defence at will. The Madras Univ defence could not handle this scoring charge as the lead soon became insurmountable. The match ended 90-62 in favour of Jamia Millia Islamia University as Bhupender amassed a whopping 47 points to his name.
Jamia Millia Islamia University (Bhupender 47 pts, Abhudaya 16 pts) bt University of Madras (Karthik 18 pts, Heamesh 10 pts) 90-62 [15-19, 22-14, 26-19, 27-10]
About the UBA Universities (UBAU) All India Inter-Zonal University Championship for Men 2017
UBAU is the flagship University sports development programme being run by the Universal Basketball Alliance India Pvt Ltd. It is the world’s largest university basketball tournament. UBAU has acquired the rights to conduct the All India Inter-Zonal University Championship under the aegis of Association of Indian Universities (AIU). The top four teams from each zone: north, south, east and west qualify to the inter-zonal championship and are divided into four pools of four teams each. The matches are being played on a league cum knockout basis. The top two teams from each pool after the league stages qualify to the knockout rounds: quarterfinals, semis, followed by the finals.
This year the participating teams are:
Pool A
1. Punjabi University
2. University of Mumbai
3. University of Calcutta
4. University of Kerala
Pool B
1. Anna University
2. Durg Vishvidyalya Durg
3. Delhi University
4. Savitri Bai Phule University Pune
Pool C
1. University of Rajasthan
2. Panjab University
3. SRM University
4. University of Kerala
Pool D
1. Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith
2. University of Madras
3. L.N.I.P.E Gwalior
4. Jamia Millia University
For more championship updates visit: www.indianinsanity.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Unive
About Association of Indian Universities (AIU)
The idea of bringing together all the universities on a common platform emerged from the deliberations of a Conference of the Vice Chancellors of Universities convened by Lord Reading, the then Viceroy of India at Shimla in 1924. The Inter-University Board (IUB) of India was subsequently formed on March 23, 1925, with the view of promoting university activities, especially by way of sharing information and co-operation in the field of education, culture, sports and allied areas. The Inter-University Board acquired a legal status with its registration in 1967 as a Society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. In 1973, it assumed its present name: The Association of Indian Universities (AIU). The membership includes traditional universities, open universities, professional universities, Institutes of National Importance and deemed-to-be universities. In addition, there is a provision of granting of Associate Membership to universities of neighbouring countries.
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