The girls’ basketball team from BITS Pilani’s oldest campus faced the youngest campus in a group stage match. The match commenced at 8.10 PM with a huge crowd cheering for both sides. It started off with a bang with Pragati, the Pilani team captain who cheered and encouraged her side. The match was slow at first, but quickly caught pace after a foul from Hyderabad’s side. Missing the first free throw, Pragati scored on her second attempt, putting points on the board for the home team only minutes into the game. The opposition responded aggressively but two missed opportunities left them trailing. The first quarter ended at 8:14 PM.
The second quarter began with a bang, with Hyderabad scoring a two-pointer within the first thirty seconds. A missed 3-pointer by Pilani gave their opposition a ray of hope. Sharma, of Hyderabad scored again, attempting to cover up their 19-point trail. After another foul by the visitors, Pinki of the home team took two free shots but failed to make them count.
A few failed free throws from the home team kept their scores neck-to-neck. The home team maintained their lead, with many direct and rebound shoots. During a shot time-out at 8:32 PM, both teams strategized and planned their next course of action. An easy basket by the Hyderabad side and a few missed free throws by Pilani narrowed the score margin. Pragati put a few difficult points on the board, relieving the pressure on her team. The teams retired for another break at the end of the second quarter at 8:37 PM.
The third quarter started off with the visitors scoring a 3-pointer; the home side gave a befitting reply with a lay-up and another 3-pointer, both by Riya. Good defence strategies and impressive blocking from Pilani made it harder for Hyderabad to close the margin.
The last quarter began at 8:45 PM, and the visitors made a desperate try to close the lead. They managed to loop a free throw, but their efforts went to vain. The home team celebrated as the final whistle blew indicating the end of the match. The Pilani team won comfortably, with a final score of 29-18.
Members from BOSM English Press had a quick word with Pragati before she rejoined her team. When asked about her views on the performance of her side, she stated that she was pleased by her team’s efforts. She acknowledged that mistakes were bound to happen; despite this, she was impressed by how her teammates managed to maintain their score tally lead in the second half of the game. About the popularity of the basketball matches amongst other sports, she mentioned that there is an immense amount of pressure due to its popularity among the BITSian crowd. Pragati was proud of her teammates for not cracking under pressure, and this match has raised the morale of the team for future matches.