Japan beat India 91-56 in FIBA U18 Asia Cup opener
After a competitive start, the East Asian side pulled away to seal the win, knocking down 15 three-pointers.
India opened their FIBA U18 Asia Cup campaign with a 91-56 loss to Japan at the Veer Savarkar Indoor Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday, August 14.
India, competing in Group D alongside Japan, South Korea, and Kazakhstan, started strong and finished the first quarter trailing by just six points, 19-13. Japan then stretched its advantage in the second quarter, taking a 42-28 lead into halftime.
Shekhar Rathee leads India
Shekhar Rathee led India’s scoring with 16 points, shooting 6-of-11 from the field and making all four of his free throws. He also contributed nine rebounds and six assists.
Aakash Iyappan added another 12 points, including two three-pointers, while Ansh Tomer and Abhyupang Mishra scored eight points each. Piyush Choudhary finished with six points, nine rebounds, and four assists.
Japan dominate
India struggled to find their rhythm from outside, shooting just 2-of-12 from three-point range (16.7%), whereas Japan converted 15 from beyond the arc.
Turnovers further hurt India’s chances, with the team committing 22 compared to Japan’s seven. The East Asian also held a 52-41 advantage on the boards, including 25 offensive rebounds to India’s 11.
After halftime, Japan continued to pull away, with India scoring just 14 points in each of the third and fourth quarters compared to the Japanese side's 26 and 23, respectively. They closed out the game with a 35-point victory, while the Young Cagers began their campaign with a loss.
Next up: South Korea
India will look to bounce back in their second Group D game when they face South Korea on August 16 at 19:30 IST.
Japan (Kenichiro Benedict 20pts, Eishin Konno 16pts & 9reb, Cayman Tsuneoka 13pts & 15reb) bt India (Shekhar Rathee 16pts & 9reb & 6ast, Aakash Iyappan 12pts, Ansh Tomer 8pts & 6reb) 91-56 [19-13, 23-15, 26-14, 23-14]
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