Indian girls basketball team ends winless in Level 1 FIBA Asia, to face Hong Kong in qualifiers
Shrishti Suren (left) and Sushantika Chakravortty (right) against Chinese Taipei. Image credit: FIBA Asia.
New Delhi (6 August 2015): India has ended its Level 1 FIBA Asia basketball campaign without a win, having fallen to Chinese Taipei 48-92 earlier today in their final league match at the 4th FIBA Asia Under-16 Championship for Women 2015. A high rate of turnovers — that has proved to be its undoing in earlier games — returned to haunt the side. Chinese Taipei, ranked 12 places above India in the world at 27, took full advantage, breaking away to a twenty point lead at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter saw India struggle to get on the scoreboard, managing only six points. Like some of the earlier games, the second half proved to be slightly better with India going 30-37 in points scored. However, the end result was never in doubt, with Chinese Taipei winning 92-48. Hard working power forward Shrishti Suren recorded her second straight double double with 10 points and 16 rebounds, while for Chinese Taipei four players scored ten points or more.
Chinese Taipei (2-3) will now wait for the result of the final league match between Thailand and China later this evening to confirm its spot in the semifinals, while India (0-5) will play a last qualifying game against Level 2’s top placed side Hong Kong day after tomorrow (8 August). This will be a make-or-break game for India in order to stay on in the upper Level 1 for the next edition of this Championship two years from now.
Chinese Taipei (Meng-Hsin Chen 19, Hsuan-Ju Ho 12, Si Han Wen 12, Yu Lin Kao 12) bt India (Shrishti Suren 10 pts & 16 rbs, Sushanti Chakravortty 10 pts) 92-48 [32-12, 23-6, 19-14, 18-16]