ONGC, Punjab post convincing wins at basketball tournament

Mumbai: ONGC and Punjab won by good margins and virtually assured themselves a spot in semi-finals in the 28th Ramu Memorial Basketball Tournament here on Wednesday.

ONGC led Karnataka by 57-35 in the penultimate quarter and despite the latter`s fighting efforts had no problem in trouncing the opposition 61-49 at Indian Gymkhana Court. ONGC`s star player Vishesh Bhriguvanshi wasn`t at his best but scored 16, while Mohit Bhandari chipped in with 12 and six rebounds. For Karnataka Nandeesh N top scored with 9. In another men`s match, Rail Coach Factory, Kapurtala suffered a second consecutive defeat, losing 46-71 to Punjab. Amritpal Singh continued his good form to top score with 28 points and 6 rebounds for Punjab, while Harminder Singh had 12 points and 9 rebounds. For RCF, K Harshvardhan was the top scorer with 12 points. In the women`s section, hosts Maharashtra succumbed to a second defeat in the tournament and captain Manisha Dange`s (21) valiant efforts went in vain as they lost to Southern Railway 49-81. For Southern Railways, R Rajapuri top scored with 18 points, while Appoorva M chipped in with 15. Adhirai M and Neena M got 14 each to help their side drub the opposition by a healthy 32 points. Results: Men`s: ONGC 61 (Vishesh Bhriguvanshi 16, Mohit B 12) bt Karnataka 49 (Nandeesh N 9) Quarter wise score: 24-13, 36-25, 57-35, 61-49). Punjab 71 (Amritpal Singh 28, Harminder Singh 12, Jatinder Kumar 12) bt RCF, Kapurtala 46 (K Harshvardhan 12) Quarter wise score: (20-12, 34-21, 58-31, 71-46). Women`s: Southern Railway 81 (R Rajapuri 18, Appoorra M 15, Adhirai M 14, Neena M 14) bt Maharashtra 49 (Manisha Dange 21, Amruta Bhuskute 10) Quarter-wise score: 20-7, 37-20, 56-35, 81-49). PTI