InBL Pro U25: Delhi Dribblers beat Mumbai Titans in thrilling opening contest

Aaron Varghese helped Mumbai take lead in the early going with a layup shot. Trailing 5-13, an inspired block from Alexander Mudranja began Dribblers’ resistance. Lokeshwaran’s three pointer bridged the gap to 12-15. He levelled the playing field with a layup, and after being fouled on the two-point attempt, also converted the free throw. The first quarter came to a close with Mumbai having a slight lead of 20-19.

With the Dribblers hot on their trail, Dalph Panopio scored crucial points to keep Titans’ close lead. Kaylan Kitto’s big double point gave Mumbai a big jump, but Manoj B scored a three-pointer to cut down the gap again. A thrilling final minute saw both sides scoring back-to-back points as the match went to halftime with scores levelled at 45-45.

The intensity only increased in the second half as Kaylan and Liam Judd combined to score crucial points for the Titans, and helped Mumbai regain their close lead. But minutes later, Lachlan Barker’s three-pointer brought the score back to level pegging. Pranav Prince’s end-to-end heroics gave Mumbai a crucial two point lead ahead of the final quarter.

With less than five minutes left in the game, James Montgomery converted an important two-pointer, while Lokeshwaran struck a three-pointer to put Delhi in the lead. He struck another three pointer in the final minute of the game, as Delhi took a formidable lead. Despite Mumbai’s Lamar Patterson scoring a late three pointer, Delhi managed to keep the possession to run out the clock and won the match 93-85.