India’s FIBA U18 Asia Cup campaign came to an end with an 83-66 loss to the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Qualification to Quarter-Finals game at the Veer Savarkar Indoor Stadium in Ahmedabad on August 20.
Iran established control early, taking a 21-16 lead after the opening quarter. They extended their advantage in the second, outscoring India 26-17 to make the scoreline 47-33 heading into halftime.
The Iranian side continued to widen the gap in the third quarter, and entered the final quarter with a 70-46 advantage.
The Young Cagers produced their best period of the game in the fourth, outscoring Iran 20-13. However, the late surge was not enough to overturn the deficit as the Middle Eastern country secured a 17-point victory.
Shooting Struggles
India struggled to find their rhythm offensively, converting 32% from the field. Their three-point shooting was particularly difficult, with India converting just 10-of-40 attempts from beyond the arc.
The turnover battle was once again costly, with the home side committing 13 turnovers with Iran converting them into nine points.
A positive for the hosts was Piyush Choudhary’s 19 points. He shot 8-of-20 from the field, including 5-of-9 from two-point range, while also contributing seven rebounds and five assists.
The Campaign Ends
The defeat brings the Indian boys FIBA U18 Asia Cup campaign to an end. After losses to Japan and South Korea in Group D, India defeated Kazakhstan to finish third in the group and advance to the Qualification to Quarter-Finals stage.
However, Iran’s dominant performance proved decisive as they advanced to the quarter-finals.
Iran (MohammadYashar KamalKhaledi 23pts & 4reb, Soheyl Soleyman Nezhad 14pts & 6ast, Mohammad Shamsi Anbouhi 11pts & 8reb) bt India (Piyush Choudhary 19pts & 7reb & 5ast, Aakash Iyappan 14pts, Arman 12pts & 5reb) 83-66 [21-16, 26-17, 23-13, 13-20]
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