BITS Pilani beat BKBIET 64-36 (13-01, 25-18, 18-10, 08-07)

In the 2019 edition of the Pilani Derby, the BITS Pilani men’s basketball team registered an impressive win over their local rivals – BK Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BKBIET). The home team had the overwhelming support of the crowd which helped them dominate the proceedings throughout.

BITS started their attack from the get-go, with Anant scoring their first points. This was followed by a two-pointer by Pranav and a couple of free throws by both Vinay and Swapnil, giving the hosts an eight point–lead in the first few minutes of the match. Putting up a good defense in response to the visitor’s attacks, BITS did not allow BKBIET to gather any momentum. The only point that BKBIET scored in the quarter came courtesy of a free throw from Hemant. 

The second quarter started off on a promising note for both teams. A three-pointer from Anant in the first few seconds was quickly answered with a couple of two-pointers from Tushar and Yashashvi. Capitalising on some successful defensive rebounds, Pranav scored as many as 12 points in this quarter, completely walking over the visitors’ defenses. A series of two-pointers by Yashashvi followed by a three-pointer from Harsh gave BKBIET some room to breathe. However, by the end of the stipulated time, the hosts had increased their lead to 19 from which the visitors never recovered.

Yashashvi drew first blood in what turned out to be the most contested quarter of the match. The hosts continued their attack, with Pranav—who successfully converted a defensive rebound—and Swapnil scoring for the home team. Tushar and Hemant responded to the home team’s offense by scoring seven points between them. The quarter ended with the score at 56-29, making it more difficult for BKBIET to come back into the game.

With the hosts enjoying an almost insurmountable lead by this stage, the fourth quarter remained a low-scoring affair. Tushar led the attack for the visitors, scoring three two-pointers in the process. A successful rebound snatch by Hemant was converted into a layup by Yashashvi. A couple of two-pointers by Jay from BITS closed off the match with the final score-line reading 64-36.

Talking to the BOSM English Press after the match, Vinay U Pai—the captain of the BITS team—said that having played against BKBIET in a couple of friendly matches before, they had expected this result. Since the tournament is still in the group stage, both teams have the opportunity to take positives from this match and work their way to the knockouts.