Spree 2016 Day 2: Semi-Finals Saturday

FUTSAL, being an Open event saw a lot of participation from BITS Goa in particular. Numerous teams – both BITS and non-BITS faced off on the basketball courts in a series of matches that went on till 3 in the morning. BITSian teams managed to register what many might consider ‘upset’ victories against teams from Motilal Nehru Institute (DU) and a Freestyler’s team, much to the home fans’ delight.

Spree Day 2, dubbed “Semi-Finals Saturday” saw Semi-Final action in most of the sports with the exception of football.

The Girls Basketball trophy will be decided through a three-way final. BITS Goa, who made it through on the back of an impressive 30-18 victory will have to fight it out with Venky and Maharishi. Venky manage to overturn a 10 point deficit to pick up an exhilarating come from behind 41-40 victory over IMED, to earn their spot in the final 3. Maharishi played BITS in the first of the matches in the triangular contest. A dominant display saw the BITS secure a 28-6 victory, amidst much fanfare from the crowd.

The Boys Basketball event saw BITS Goa pick up a 55-40 victory over NCU in the Quarter Finals, much to the delight of the crowd. Riding on the back of impressive performances by Manish, Sahith and Vijith, among others, the home team navigated through some tricky moments, whilst bearing the searing heat to convert what once was a fragile 27-26 advantage to a comprehensive victory.

The other Quarter Finals saw BITS H defeat GIT Belgaum 40-30, while IMED and MNC completed the Semis lineup with 63-57 and 45-36 victories over Venkateswara and COEP respectively. The much awaited Semi Final between BITS G and IMED saw a large turnout, and after four closely contested quarters, IMED edged out a 54-45 victory to secure their finals berth. They will face BITS H, who were 40-33 victors in the second Semi-Finals.

The BITS G Cricket Team failed to make it to the Semi-Final after losing out to the other teams on Net Run Rate, much to the dismay of the home crowd. Xavier's notched up a thrilling 6 run victory over SIMS while SVC marched on to a 16 run win the other Semi Final to set up an exciting final.

The Tennis last 4 will feature both the BITS Goa teams, as BITS A and BITS B finished 1st and 2nd in the group stage respectively. BITS A, led by Vatsal Tolasaria and Rachith Aiyappa will go up against NIT-K, while BITS B attempt to topple COEP and secure an all BITS final.

Day 2 of the inaugural edition of Squash saw BITS B lose 0-2 to AIT, before registering a consolation 2-1 victory over Symbiosis. MIT A continued their undefeated streak to beat Symbiosis 2-1 to qualify for the Semi Finals, alongside MIT B, AIT and BITS A. BITS A faced off against MIT A in the Semis, while MIT B took on AIT. After 2 hours of intense and invigorating stroke play, MIT A and MIT B managed to seal their spots in the finals with 2-0 and 2-0 victories respectively.

The BITS G Girls FC kicked off their Spree ’16 campaign with a spirited performance against MIT. The home team were unlucky to go down 0-1 despite outplaying their opponents for most of the game. Meanwhile, on the Boys side, Motiilal beat JECRC 2-0, VJTI beat COEP 5-0 while IIST and BPHC played out a 0-0 draw, to round up the group stage. BITS FC will take on SVC(Venky) in the Semis, while Motilal will face-off against Chowgule, in what will be a repeat of last year’s final.

Rounds 3 and 4 of the Chess event were played today, with BITS G securing a 2.5-1.5 victory in Round 3. A 2-2 draw with BITS H in round 4 meant that Chess was the first sport to be decided, with BITS G taking 1st place, and BITS H coming in 2nd.

Day 2 saw Badminton move into the knockout stages of the event with the Quarter Finals being played out in front of a raucous crowd. BITS A lost a thrilling Quarter Finals to JNTU by a 3-2 margin, as the crowd was treated to a real humdinger. BITS B beat PCCE 3-1, while Manipal and COEP beat DAIICT and JMI respectively. BITS B put up a spirited fight before bowing out in the Semis against Manipal. The Girls event saw BITS A lose to COEP 0-2 and Manipal beat JMI 2-1 to secure their finals berths.

Table Tennis fans were treated to quite a spectacle with Ria Doshi of BITS G winning the girls event. Over on the Boys side, MIT beat BITS A 3-1, SKN beat SA College 3-0, IITB beat BITS H 3-1 and JNTU beat NCU 3-1, to conclude a day of high octane TT.

Day 2 also had plenty to offer for the non-sports enthusiasts. Informals like the Hogathon, RodeoBull and Water Zorbing kept people entertained throughout the Day, while YouTube cover artist Avanie Joshi and illusionist Arjun Guru enthralled the crowd on Night 2.