Mulki Sunder all-India C’ship: ICF beats Karnataka State, moves into semis

Karnataka State, with three losses in as many group stage matches, exited the tournament.

ICF's Vijay (centre) in action against Karnataka on Friday.

ICF whipped Karnataka State 71-40 to book a semifinal spot in the Mulki Sunder Ram Shetty all-India basketball tournament, at Sree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium here. Karnataka State, with three losses in as many group stage matches, exited the tournament.

K. Mukunth (21 points) and P. Vijay (18 pts) did the bulk of the scoring for ICF. A dominant ICF took a 31-11 lead at the end of the first quarter, leaving Karnataka State with little chance of making a comeback. The second period widened the gap even further, with Karnataka State scoring a mere two points.

Vijay injected life into the one-sided affair with a powerful two-handed baseline dunk, to finish a fast-break play with authority.

At half-time, ICF sat pretty on a 47-13 advantage, and cruised to victory.

ICF joins Chennai Customs, IOB and Vijaya Bank in the semifinal round, which will be held on Saturday.

The result

ICF 71 (K. Mukunth 21, P. Vijay 18) bt Karnataka State 40 (Shashank Rai 10).