Tehran, 17th September 2016: India took on Asian heavyweights Japan in the first of its 5-8 classification games at the FIBA Asia Challenge 2016. The tournament is underway at the Twelve Thousand People Sport Hall, Azadi Sports Complex in Tehran, Iran.
India did well in almost matching Japan in three of the four quarters, before the Asian giants prevailed 77-66. India will look to end its FIBA Asia Challenge 2016 on a good note with a final 7-8 classification vs Taipei tomorrow at 3 pm.
India shot poorly at the start and ended up 8 points behind Japan after the first 10 minutes. The next three quarters proved much more equal, as India led by captain centre Amritpal Singh began crashing the offensive glass. Amritpal would end with yet another double double of 22 points and 14 rebounds, with Amjyot pitching in with 18. For every run that India made though, Japan proved equal to the task to secure the 11 point win. Japan now faces China in the 5-6 classification match tomorrow.
Coming to the semifinals, Iran will take on Jordan, while Korea will face Iraq, a team that had stunned China in the quarterfinals.
Results on 17/9/2016
Japan (Ira Brown 20, Makoto Heijima 19, Ryusei Shinoyama 12) bt India (Amritpal Singh 22 pts & 14 reb, Amjyot Singh 18 pts) 77-66 (22-14, 18-19, 20-18, 17-15]
Photo credit: Fiba.com
