Asia Cup Basketball: India U16 Girls Through to Div B Finals
Continuing the fighting spirit that has come to define them, the Indian eves battled past Indonesia 65-53 to move within one win of promotion to Division A.
Seremban, Malaysia (18 September 2025): As the raging hit Tamil dance track Monica from Rajinikanth starrer Coolie started blaring inside the Karisma Arena, Indian U16 women’s basketball coach Anitha Pauldurai couldn’t help but shake a leg.
After all, her wards were doing everything she was expecting of them, and then some.
The Young Cagers had just battled past Indonesia 65-53 to book a place in the finals of Division B of the FIBA U16 Women’s Asia Cup.
Another win tomorrow will ensure India’s return to the elite Division A after a gap of five years.
Slow Start
Like in previous games, India yet again started slowly. Against a typically fast-paced South East Asian team like Indonesia, this was to be expected.
While India benefited from an extra day’s rest, having qualified directly to the semifinals, Indonesia was still pulsing from having played an extra semis qualification game yesterday against Uzbekistan.
Indonesia’s smaller and quicker guards put India under immediate pressure - forcing South Asia’s champion team into multiple early turnovers.
India captain Reva Kulkarni and her backcourt partner Nethra Birudavolu both struggled to maintain possession, while specialist shooter Aditi Subramanian was a non-factor.
Surprise Substitution
Faced with these odds, Coach Pauldurai was forced to bring in Maharashtra’s Vaishnavi Pardeshi - a 5ft 6’’ guard who had not played even a single minute in India’s previous three group phase wins.
After initial jitters, the move bore fruit, as Pardeshi showcased her athleticism and speed plugging India’s turnover leaks.
By half-time, both teams were tied at 24, with Indonesia unable to capitalize on their extra possessions due to their own poor shooting.
But it was clear by now that the momentum had started shifting towards India.
Second half goes India’s way
The third quarter began with some much-needed points in the paint for India, led by 5ft 10’’ Karnataka center Mahek Sharma.
But just as it looked like India was starting to get ahead, Indonesia fought right back, led by their diminutive point guard Inez Angelina Welly.
Indonesia continued to disrupt India’s passing lanes, leading to easy transition layups.
With ten minutes to go, India led by a mere four points, 44-40.
Reddy’s Day Out
In a see-saw game that had as many as eight lead changes, neither team had been able to break free from the other.
But with six minutes to go, India led by 7 points, 51-44, and less than two minutes later, the gap ballooned to 11 points.
India forward Viha Reddy had well and truly joined the party, top scoring with 22 points, to supplement Captain Kulkarni’s hard-earned 17 points.
The finals will be held on September 19 at 3:30 pm, with India facing the winners of the second semifinal between Hong Kong and Iran.
India (Viha Reddy Jonnalagadda 22 pts 12 reb, Mahek Sharma 12 pts 12 reb, Reva Kulkarni 17 pts) bt Indonesia (Inez Angelina Welly 13 pts) 65-53 [11-11, 13-13, 20-16, 21-13]
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