Tomar-inspired Lucknow end Patna’s unbeaten home run

U.P. Yoddha overcame Patna Pirates 46-41 at the Harivansh Tana Bhagat Indoor Stadium in Ranchi on Thursday. Lucknow skipper Nitin Tomar scored a game-high 18 points and Rishank Devadiga also bagged 11 points on the night.

Both teams got on the board with bonus points but it was Lucknow who started the better of the two sides after a Devadiga super raid in the 7^th minute gave them an 8-3 lead. The Yoddha extended their lead soon after by inflicting an All-Out on Patna to make it 13-4.

Patna’s struggle to get a foothold in the game continued as Lucknow’s defence looked in ominous form with strong and assured tackles. The visitors edged further ahead as the half developed but a two-point raid by Jawahar Dagar and a super tackle by Jaideep saw the Pirates slowly claw their way back into the contest.

However, Lucknow did eventually enforce another All-Out on Patna in the penultimate minute of the half to make it 26-13 in their favour. The last bit of action in the half saw Pardeep Narwal picking up a bonus point and making it 27-15 at the break.

Lucknow began the second period in buoyant fashion courtesy of a bonus point and a two-point raid by Devadiga. Patna then retaliated with two super raids from Pardeep first and then a four-pointer by Vijay to reduce the deficit to 34-23.

A two-point raid by Pardeep in the 28^th minute soon had the visitors on the ropes before a first All-Out of the game on Lucknow narrowed the deficit to 35-28. Defensive lapses though kept happening in Patna’s defence as the Yoddha looked to consolidate their lead.

The last quarter of the encounter witnessed Patna trying to stage a comeback but a four-point super raid by Tomar halted the Pirates’ charge. Lucknow then slowed down the pace of the game and ensured that the home side couldn’t build up a head of steam as they closed out the contest to claim maximum points.

Check out our snapshots from this match here.