Hosts India secured their berth as top seeds for the Division B women’s quarter-finals with a convincing 88-42 win over hapless Sri Lanka in their final Group A fixture at Fiba Asia Cup here on Tuesday.
Sri Lanka entered this match on the back of a 78-39 loss to Uzbekistan on Monday, and got off to an ominous start, conceding six points without reply. Forward Grima Varghese dominated the early exchanges with eight points in the first quarter. India were up 23-10.
The second quarter virtually killed off the contest as the Indian eves only allowed three points to the Lionesses, whilst ratcheting up the scoreline to 40-13. Barkha Sonkar was instrumental in converting defence to attack with her mazy driving runs towards the Sri Lankan basket. The passing didn’t let her down either, with six assists to her name.
Lanky centre Poonam Chaturvedi was brought on to good effect in the second half, netting eight points whilst adding to India’s defensive solidity.
Sri Lanka’s abrasive play racked up the foul count, and Grima lapped up nine free throws from an attempted ten to finish with a double-double (20 points, 10 rebounds).
India now play Fiji in the quarter-finals on Thursday.
Australia snap Japan streak
It was the marquee clash that everyone was waiting for, and it didn’t disappoint as Australia fashioned some of their best attacking basketball to defeat titans Japan 83-74. The defeat ended Japan’s 17-match winning streak in Asian championships, stretching back to 2011.
The two teams were neck-to-neck until the second quarter when the Opals pulled away. Out with a calf strain on Monday, powerful centre Marianna Tolo was back to her lethal best with eight rebounds and 17 points.
Incredibly accurate long-range shooting from shooting forward Stephanie Cumming and guard Katie-Rae Ebzery contributed 18 points to the tally.
For the Akatsuki Five, guards Manami Fujioka and Yuki Miyazawa stood out with their pace and verve, netting 18 and 19 points respectively.
“We didn’t lose the game today, they won it. There’s a difference,” Japan coach Tom Hovasse said. The Opals made a clean sweep of Group B and are top-seeds for the quarter-finals, whilst Japan lie second.
Earlier, New Zealand made it two on the spin in a come-from-behind win over Chinese Taipei. A vintage performance from shooting forward Jillian Harmon and a double-double from 22 year-old Kalani Purcell (22 points, 13 rebounds) stole a 59-53 victory for the Tal Ferns. China topped Group A with a 110-53 mauling of DPR Korea.
