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The Chennai Heat delivered a commanding performance, overpowering the Mumbai Titans 86-69 at the Thyagraj Indoor Stadium in the InBL Pro U25 league on Friday.
Tad Dufelmeier was the star of the night, lighting up the scoreboard with 23 points and 9 rebounds to avenge the 70-85 loss to the Titans. While Malak Majak and Jack Stanwix combined for 30 points to fuel the Heat's explosive offense. The Titans got off to a strong start, racing to a 6-0 lead as Elijah Puna and Gurwinder Singh found early buckets. The Heat struggled to get going, missing their first few shots until Stanwix broke the drought. But just as they started to find their rhythm, foul trouble set them back, allowing Lokendra Singh and Aaron Verghese Blessen to attack the rim and extend the Titans' lead. Then came the turning point. With Jaideep Rathore, Dufelmeier, and Majak drilling back-to-back threes, the Heat launched a blistering 14-0 run to steal the lead. Majak stayed hot, knocking down another deep three to start the second quarter, but Gurwinder Singh answered right back in a thrilling exchange of baskets. As the Titans pushed the pace, the Heat tightened up on defence, forcing turnovers and converting fast breaks through Sejin Mathew and Stanwix. By halftime, the Heat had built a commanding 14-point lead. The intensity only escalated in the third quarter. Liam Judd drained a corner three for the Titans, but the Heat responded with crucial defensive stops and buckets from Dufelmeier to maintain their cushion. Durrell McDonald tried to spark a comeback with another three-pointer, cutting the deficit to eight, but the Heat refused to back down. They protected the rim with authority, snatching rebounds and forcing turnovers to hold a 10-point lead heading into the final quarter. Majak and Dufelmeier put the game to bed in the fourth, sinking clutch three-pointers to extend the lead. The Titans fought to stay in the game, attacking inside through Puna and Panopio, but their shooting woes continued. Even when Puna and Panopio connected from deep, Jaideep Rathore had the final say, burying a three-pointer to put the Heat up by 16 with just over a minute left. (ANI)
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