Bhriguvanshi stars in ONGC`s facile win over RCF

Mumbai: Vishesh Bhriguvanshi was in great touch sinking 36 points to lead ONGC to a commanding 80-63 win over Rail Coach Factory, Kapurtala in the 28th amu Memorial basketball tournament at the Indian Gymkhana court here.

The star-studded ONGC, with stars like Bhriguvanshi, Trideep Rai, Riyazuddin, Yadwinder Singh and Murali Krishna, in their ranks, swamped the opposition after leading 39-31 at half time. Except for a brief spell before half time, which saw RCF enjoy a 7-0 scoring run, ONGC were never rattled. The second half was a Bhriguvanshi show all the way as he drove in at will to score and, when baulked, proved equally adept at scoring from outside the zone. Yadwinder chipped in with 15 and Murali Krishna added 14 to ONGC`s total, while for RCF it was Harshvardhan, who top scored with 19. In another men’s match, Maharashtra crashed to their second consecutive defeat in Group B, losing 61-79 to Indian Air Force. In the women`s section hosts Maharashtra, though depleted, rallied brilliantly behind captain Manisha Navare to defeat Chhattisgarh 59-49 and keep their hopes alive in the three-team competition. The state eves kept a strong defence and depended on fast breaks by Manisha to keep the scoreboard ticking. Manisha top scored with 28 points, while for the losers K Aruna scored 14. Results: Men: ONGC 80 (Vishesh Bhriguvanshi 36, Yadwinder Singh 15, Murli K 14) bt RCF, Kapurtala 63 (Harshvardhan 19, Arjun S 13, Bijender K 12) Quarter wise score: (26-14, 39-31, 61-43, 80-63). Indian Air Force 79 (Narender s 24, Shivraj S 12, Joginder S 11, Parveen K 11) bt Maharashtra 61 (Raj Kalbhor 17, Govind K 14) Quarter wise score: (28-18, 45-30, 64-45, 79-61). Women: Maharashtra 59 (Manisha N 28, M Kasturi 8) bt Chattisgarh 49 (K Aruna 14, Sarita P 10). PTI