National basketball championship: Punjab men, TN women enter semis

Punjab, going for a hat-trick of titles, found its moorings as it outplayed former champion Uttarakhand 90-63 in the quarterfinals of the 71st Senior National basketball championships on Friday.

Amjyot Singh (white) of Punjab about to score against Uttarakhand during the 71st Senior National Basketball Championship Tournament.

The form of the Punjab men’s team was a question mark. For it had lost back-to-back matches.

The defending champion, going for a hat-trick of titles, found its moorings as it outplayed former champion Uttarakhand 90-63 in the quarterfinals of the 71st Senior National basketball championships here on Friday.

Punjab’s power forward Amjyot Singh, who was missing regular baskets in two previous matches, came good with 21 points.

Comprising a squad of 11 college players and a school kid, Tamil Nadu punched above its height by reaching the women’s semifinals, after defeating Punjab 73-70.

While the first quarter saw TN lead 22-13, it trailed in the next two: 9-17 & 21-29, but raced away to 21-11 in the final quarter. TN's J. Sruthy was the most outstanding player with 21 points and 15 defensive rebounds.

Semifinal line-up : Men: TN vs Indian Railways; Punjab vs Karnataka; Women: TN vs Indian Railways; Telangana vs Kerala.