Maharashtra women make semis in Federation Cup basketball

NAGPUR: With two convincing victories in three outings, Maharashtra women made an entry into the semifinals of the Federation Cup basketball tournament currently in progress at Noida on Friday.
Starting their campaign with an upset over last years' runners-up Chhattisgarh gave Maharashtra a much needed push in their tournament opener. Last years' semifinalists Kerala, however, proved to be a tough nut to crack for Maharashtra in their second game.Despite the defeat, the young crop of Maharashtra cagers fought their way back in the tournament with a thumping victory over Uttar Pradesh in their third and final league round game on Friday.
With two wins and a defeat, Maharashtra women finished second in group B to confirm their semifinal berth where they will face the challenge of mighty Tamil Nadu on Saturday.
For starters, Maharashtra surprised Chhattisgarh 81-59 in their opening tie with Shruti Menon, now working with the Railways, scoring a game-high 24 points. The talented point guard was ably supported by the combined 30-point effort from Anshika Kanojiya (18) and Sakshi Pandey (12).
In their second outing against pool toppers Kerala, Shruti mis-timed her attempts as Maharashtra went down 53-87 for their first defeat in the meet. Sakshi Pandey (17) and Carina Menezes (10) were the only two notable performers with a double-digit scores for Maharashtra. After fighting hard till the halfway mark, where Kerala were leading by just 11 points (35-24), Maharashtra failed to deliver in the second half.
Playing a do-or-die game against Uttar Pradesh, the Maharashtra hoopsters gave a cautious start in their third outing. They took time to settle into their groove. Once they were in, the Maharashtra girls scored baskets at will to seal the fate of Uttar Pradesh with a facile 28-point (69-41) win.
Having pocketed the initial quarter 18-15, Maharashtra girls claimed the second period 14-9 for a handy 32-24 lead at the lemon break.
The change of ends turned the things in Maharashtra's favour. They reeled in 16 unanswered points to dominate the third period 21-3 for a 26-point lead. Maharashtra completed the formalities in the final quarter to emerge victorious by as many as 28 points (69-41).
For the winners, Shruti Menon (Arvind) emerged the top scorer with a game-high 28 points in her 33-minute stay on the court.