21st July 2016 - Balewadi Stadium, Pune: In a crucial match of the UBA Pro Basketball League season 3, Chennai Slam beat Hyderabad Sky 107-93 on Thursday afternoon and go to the top of the South Division.
Pic 1: Hyderabad Sky and Chennai Slam in action during the Season 3 of the UBA Pro Basketball League.
Pic 2: Chennai Slam pose after winning the 11th match of the UBA Pro Basketball League Season 3.
Jairam starred for Chennai Slam with 31 points and he was in his element right from the start as he delivered in a must-win game for his team.
Both teams were coming on the back of losses in their previous matches and they were quick to make their attacking intent clear in the early stages of the match.
They went toe-to-toe in the first quarter, with Hyderabad's star player Manu Thomas leading most of their forays while Agu's speed and built was to be a big asset for Chennai.
At the end of the first quarter, Chennai Slam led Hyderabad Sky 32-29 and if it wasn't for some crucial blocks by Thomas, the lead could have been bigger.
The second quarter saw the same tempo being displayed by both teams with Chennai Slam's Jairam making his presence felt, scoring crucial points.
Chennai Slam continued to maintain their lead in this quarter also as Hyderabad Sky slowly let the momentum go in Chennai's favour. Chennai Slam managed to take a 10-point lead going into halftime with the score reading 64-54.
In points from turnovers, Chennai Slam scored six while Hyderabad Sky could manage only one.
The third quarter was also a fast paced one as Chennai Slam had raced to a 14 point lead at one point but Hyderabad Sky managed to trim it and keep the game within sight.
However, Agu's agility and moves meant that Chennai Slam always kept a healthy lead, allowing the team to finish the third quarter 88-76.
The proceedings in the fourth quarter were almost a replay of the third half as Chennai Slam never took their feet off the pedal. Chennai reached the 100 mark with just over three minutes to play and it was evident that Hyderabad Sky would require harakiri on Chennai's part to let the huge lead slip away.
Chennai Slam 107 Hyderabad Sky 93
Chennai Slam 107 (Jairam 31, Gopal 21, Ram 14) Hyderabad 93 (Thomas 25, Mahesh 25, Mahipal 17)