FIBA U18 Women’s Asia Cup: India Lose to Kazakhstan in the Semi-finals
An unbeaten group-stage Division B campaign comes to an end as the Indian girls fall 60-36.
India’s hopes of returning to Division A came to a disappointing end as they suffered a 60-36 defeat to Kazakhstan in the semifinals of the FIBA U18 Women’s Asia Cup 2026 Division B in Bangkok, Thailand, on Saturday, July 18.
Despite entering the knockout clash unbeaten after topping Group A with convincing wins over Thailand, Oman, and Indonesia, India were unable to overcome a disciplined Kazakhstan side that controlled the game from the opening quarter to book their place in the final.
The result also means India will remain in Division B, with only the tournament champions earning promotion to Division A.
Kazakhstan Take Early Control
India stayed within touching distance during the opening half but struggled to generate consistent offense against Kazakhstan’s aggressive defense.
They grabbed five offensive rebounds in the first quarter while preventing India from securing any, converting those opportunities into six second-chance points. Their ability to push the pace also paid dividends, scoring nine fast-break points compared to India’s none.
Kazakhstan edged the first quarter 15-10 before extending their advantage to 25-16 at halftime.
Any hopes of a comeback were effectively dashed in the third quarter as Kazakhstan produced a decisive 21-11 run, stretching the lead to 46-27 heading into the final period. India were unable to close the gap in the fourth as Kazakhstan completed a comfortable 60-36 victory.
India Struggles Offensively
India endured their toughest offensive outing of the tournament, shooting just 26.4% (14-of-53) from the field. Their perimeter shooting also deserted them, making only 1 of 12 attempts from beyond the arc (8.3%) compared to Kazakhstan’s six threes.
The Indian side committed 33 turnovers, which the Central Asian capitalized on throughout the contest.
Promotion dream ends
The defeat ends India’s quest for promotion back to Division A, with Kazakhstan advancing to the Division B final and remaining in contention for the lone promotion spot.
The South Asian country will now shift its focus to the third-place playoff, where it will look to finish its campaign on a positive note after an otherwise impressive tournament that saw it top Group A with three convincing victories.
Kazakhstan (Kaussar Ybray 18pts & 8stl & 5reb, Yerlan Shakhida 15pts & 3reb, Milana Krutevich 9pts & 9reb) bt India (Mahek Sharma 9pts & 6reb, Aditi Subramanian 7pts & 6reb & 3stl, Taarushee Tarun 4pts & 14reb) 60-36 [15-10, 10-6, 21-11, 14-9]
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