Bengaluru/Taipei, 24^th July 2017: The Indian men’s basketball team finished their campaign yesterday at the William Jones Cup in Chinese Taipei with a 61-77 loss against the Japanese national team.

 

The Indian men were leading 30-28 going into halftime, but fell behind after a disappointing third quarter where they were outscored 28-15.

 

Amjyot Singh Gill led the scoring for India with 22 points, while Jeevanantham Pandi chipped in with 10 points. The Indian team was strong on the boards, out-rebounding the Japanese men 41-31, but only managed to hit one of thirteen from beyond the arc.

 

The Japanese offensive effort was led by Shuta Hara (15 points), and supported by Kengo Nomoto (14 points) and Shuto Ando (12 points).

 

The Indian men finished the tournament without a win, but these games have provided valuable minutes to the squad ahead of the FIBA Asia Cup in Lebanon next month. Head coach Phil Weber will be encouraged by the performances of the squad, particularly the young forwards – Muin Bek Hafeez, Jeevanantham Pandi, and Gurvinder Singh Gill.

 

Japan (Shuta Hara 15 pts; Kengo Nomoto 14 pts; Shuto Ando 12 pts) bt India (Amjyot Singh Gill 22 pts; Jeevanantham Pandi 10 pts) 77 – 61 [15 – 11, 13 – 19, 28 – 15, 21 – 16]

 

22^nd July: India lose to Philippines

On 22^nd July, the Indian men’s basketball team lost the penultimate game of the William Jones Cup 70-101 against the Philippines.

 

The men from the Philippines were on fire from beyond the arc, hitting 17 three-pointers on 47% shooting.  Mathew Andrew Wright was the top scorer for the Philippines (19 points), hitting 5 of 5 from three-point land.

 

Like so many games in this tournament, the Indian men were competitive in the early minutes of the game, but dropped off in the second quarter and were outscored 7-27.

 

The Indian team had a couple of strong performances, with Amjyot Singh scoring 25 points, and Jeevanantham Pandi notching up a double-double (14 points and 10 rebounds). Overall, the shooting was a mixed bag: the team shot 60 percent from two-point range, but attempted as many as 30 three-pointers and hitting only 23%.

 

Philippines (Matthew Andrew Wright 19 pts; Von Rolfe Pessumal 14 pts; Almond Vosotros 14 pts) bt India (Amjyot Singh Gill 25 pts; Jeevanantham Pandi 14 pts, 10 rebs) 101 – 70 [27 – 24, 27 – 7, 26 – 24, 21 – 15]

 

About the William Jones Cup

The William Jones Cup is a basketball tournament that has been held annually in Taipei since 1977. The tournament was named in honour of Renato William Jones, who was one of the founders of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). One team represents each country, and that team could be the national team, a professional club, or a college team. The tournament is played in a single round-robin format, and the final points tally will determine the placing of the teams.

 

This is the 39^th edition of the tournament, and all the games were played at the Basketball Stadium of Heping Elementary School, Taipei City.

 

The William Jones Cup has served as excellent competitive exposure for India ahead of the FIBA Men’s Asia Cup to be held in Lebanon from 8^th to 20^th August 2017.

 

Last year, Philippines’ Mighty Sports club team took gold in the men’s tournament, while South Korea and Republic of China (i.e. Chinese Taipei) – Blue finished second and third respectively. India finished 1-7 in this edition.

List of participating teams

1. Canada 3D Global Sports
2. India National Team
3. Iran National Team
4. Iraq National Team
5. Japan National Team
6. Korea National Team
7. Lithuania Atletas Team
8. Philippines National Team
9. Chinese Taipei National Team A
10. Chinese Taipei National Team B

India’s full schedule

• 15^th July, 1100 hrs CST (or 0830 hrs IST)- versus Iraq
• 16^th July, 1100 hrs CST (or 0830 hrs IST)- versus South Korea
• 17^th July, 1900 hrs CST (or 1730 hrs IST)- versus Republic of China – Blue
• 18^th July, 1500 hrs CST (or 1230 hrs IST)- versus Iran
• 19^th July, 1300 hrs CST (or 1030 hrs IST)- versus Lithuania
• 20^th July, 1500 hrs CST (or 1230 hrs IST)- versus Republic of China – White
• 21^st July, 1100 hrs CST (or 0830 hrs IST)- versus Canada
• 22^nd July, 1300 hrs CST (or 1030 hrs IST)- versus Philippines
• 23^rd July, 1500 hrs CST (or 1230 hrs IST)- versus Japan

 

INDIAN CONTINGENT FOR THE 39^TH WILLIAM JONES CUP

 

Sr. No.	First Name	Middle and Last Name	Position	DOB	State/Unit
1	Ambati	PRUDHVISHWAR REDDY	PG	02/10/96	Telangana
2	Anil Kumar	BUKANKERE KRISHNE GOWDA	SG	31/07/89	Karnataka/Vijaya Bank
3	Arjun	SINGH	G	08/06/92	Uttarakhand/ONGC
4	Pratham	SINGH	SG	01/10/91	Tamil Nadu/IOB
5	Basil	PHILIP	SG	10/01/91	Kerala/Customs & Central Excise
6	Jeevanantham	PANDI	PF/C	13/10/94	Tamil Nadu/IOB
7	Rikin	PETHANI	C	02/12/90	Tamil Nadu/Income Tax
8	Amjyot Singh	GILL	PF	27/01/92	Punjab
9	Baladhaneshwar	POIYAMOZHI	PG	07/12/92	Tamil Nadu
10	Gurvinder Singh	GILL	PF/C	21/01/96	Punjab
11	PrasannaVenkatesh	SIVAKUMAR	SF	25/09/92	Tamil Nadu/IOB
12	MuinBek	HAFEEZ	SF	28/01/91	Tamil Nadu
Support Staff
13	Baskar	SAPPANIAMBALAM	Coach	20/07/66	Tamil Nadu
14	Padipurakkal Joseph	SEBASTIAN	Coach	21/05/67	Kerala
15	Devender	KUMAR	Manager	04/07/56	Delhi
16	Raj Kumar	DUBEY	Physiotherapist	01/06/68	Uttarakhand/ONGC
17	Peter SanthoshDivaker	PEREJI	Referee	03/07/73	Telangana

*PG – Point Guard / Feeder, G – Guard, F – Forward, G/F – Wing, PF – Power Forward, C – Centre, PF/C – Post

Bengaluru, 21^st July 2017: Today, the Indian men’s basketball team continued their campaign at the William Jones Cup against Canada’s ‘3D Global Sports’.

 

The game ended 121-72 in favour of Canada, who shot an impressive 68% from two-point range.

 

Much like the last game against China, the Indian team was undone by an all-round offensive performance: six players on the Canadian team finished the game with scoring in double figures, led by Diego Kapelan (21 points). They were also superior off the boards, out-rebounding the Indian team 56 – 22.

 

For India, Prasanna Venkatesh Sivakumar led the scoring with 15 points, and there were contributions from Amjyot Singh Gill (13 points) and Gurvinder Singh Gill (11 points).

 

With the FIBA Asia Cup in Lebanon fast approaching, the Indian team will be looking to make the most of the match practice afforded by the last two games in the tournament.

 

Next up, the Indian men play the national team of the Philippines on 22^nd July at 1300 hrs CST (1030 IST).

 

Canada (Diego Kapelan 21 pts; Shaquille Keith 18 pts; Michale Kyser 16 pts) bt India (Prasanna Venkatesh Sivakumar 15 pts; Amjyot Singh Gill 13 pts; Gurvinder Singh Gill 11 pts) 121-72 [33-19, 30-19, 23-21, 35-13]

Bengaluru, 20^th July 2017:  On day six of the William Jones Cup, the Indian men’s basketball team lost 87-117 against Republic of China White, which is the Chinese Taipei National Team B.

 

The opposition dominated the first quarter and opened up a huge lead of 15 points. In the second quarter, the Indian men rediscovered their shooting form of the last few games and scored 31 points, but were unable to stop the Chinese offensive juggernaut.

 

The Indian team had four players scoring in double figures, led by Amjyot Singh Gill with 22 points. Muin Bek Hafeez impressed again, finishing with 13 points and hitting 3 of 5 shots from beyond the arc. Jeevanantham Pandi (10 points) and Anil Kumar (12 points) provided the offensive spark off the bench. Collectively, the team shot an impressive 60% from two-point range.

 

Eventually, the Indian men were outdone by the offensive production of the Chinese team, who had six players finish the game scoring in double figures. The Chinese Taipei men also racked up 18 steals which allowed them some easy points.

 

While the Indian team remains winless, these matches are vital for the young side, as the players have gained valuable minutes and will be looking to maintain this offensive form when they compete in the FIBA Asia Cup in Lebanon next month.

 

But for now, they will be focused on strengthening their defense when they take on Canada (represented by 3D Global Sports) on 21^st July at 1100 hrs CST (0830 IST).

 

Republic of China White (Kyle Baron 18 pts; Yi-Jin Su 16 pts; Ying-Chun Chen 15 pts) bt India (Amjyot Singh Gill 22 pts; Muin Bek Hafeez 13 pts; Anil Kumar Gowda 12 pts) 117-87 [30-15, 36-31, 24-21, 27-20]

Bengaluru, 19^th July 2017:  India’s William Jones campaign continued on Day 5 against the Lithuania Atletas club team.

 

The Indian men’s basketball team found its shooting touch early. They were quick out of the blocks, building up a 26-17 lead at the end of the first quarter. But the Lithuanians clawed their way back in the second quarter, taking a six point lead into halftime. Even though the Indians continued to shoot the ball well, the Lithuanians were better, eventually winning the game 102-79.

 

Despite the loss, there were positives all round for India. After a quiet couple of games, Amjyot Singh Gill was the star for India with 28 points. He was on fire from the field, hitting seven of ten shots from two-point range and shooting at 44% from beyond the arc. Young forward Muin Bek Hafeez had another strong outing, falling just short of a double-double with 8 points and 10 rebounds.

 

Significantly, India’s bench combined to score 30 points.

 

For Lithuania, five players finished with scores in double figures, led by Žygimantas Jocys (21 points) and Domantas Šeškus (20 points).

 

After today’s performance, the Indian men will be focused on notching up their first win of the tournament when they play Republic of China-White (Chinese Taipei National Team ‘B’) on 20^th July at 1500 hrs CST (1230 IST).

 

Lithuania (Žygimantas Jocys 21 pts; Domantas Šeškus 20 pts; Vaidotas Volkus 14 pts) bt India (Amjyot Singh Gill 28 pts, 6 rebs; Rikin Pethani 9 pts; Muin Bek Hafeez 8 pts, 10 rebs) 102-79 [17-26, 32-17, 24-14, 29-22]

Taipei/Bengaluru, 17^th July 2017:  The Indian men’s basketball team continued to shoot the ball well against Republic of China ‘Blue’ (Chinese Taipei National Team A), but eventually lost 80-101 on the third day of the William Jones Cup.

 

In a see-saw game that saw both teams seize the initiative intermittently, the standout performance was Anil Kumar Gowda who dropped 27 points. The guard from Karnataka put on a shooting clinic, shooting 80% from two-point range and hitting five of seven from beyond the arc.

 

Young forward Muin Bek Hafeez (12 points) continued where he left off in the last game, shooting the ball well from the paint; while Amjyot Singh had a quiet game compared to his lofty standards, but still managed to notch up 13 points.

 

In the end, the Indian men were overcome by an all-round performance from the Chinese Taipei team, as they had five players scoring in double figures.

 

Despite the loss, the Indian team will take heart from the fact that they were competitive on the boards, and managed to keep the turnovers down to only fifteen.

 

The Indians will be hoping to keep improving when they come up against the mighty Iran on 18^th July at 1500 hrs CST (1230 IST).

Republic of China Blue (Zheng-Ru Lu 17 pts, Huan-Ya Yu 13 pts, Po-Chen Chou 12 pts) bt India (Anil Kumar Gowda 27 pts, Amjyot Singh Gill 13 pts, Muin Bek Hafeez 12 pts) 101-80 [25-15, 14-19, 35-20, 27-26]

Taipei/Bengaluru, 16^th July 2017:  The Indian men’s basketball team lost to South Korea’s National Team 67-92 in their second game of the William Jones Cup 2017 in Taipei. The Indians matched the South Korean firepower initially and stuck close, ending the first quarter down 15 to 19. The second and third quarters, however, have proved to be tough terrain for India, as they stumbled and watched South Korea pull away.

 

There were bright spots for India despite the loss. The team outrebounded South Korea 34 to 29, which included 11 offensive rebounds. Youngster Muin Bek Hafeez put up a good all-round performance with 12 points, 4 assists and 5 rebounds. As many as four Indian players scored in double digits, led by veteran guard Anil Kumar’s 13 points.

 

India also had 10 fewer turnovers than their previous game and its two-point shooting percentage was respectable at 47%.

 

That said, South Korea was clearly superior, as the trigger happy side converted 19 of their 37 attempts from beyond the arc.

 

India will be hoping to bring it all together in its next game against Republic of China Blue on 17^th July at 1900 hrs CST (1630 IST).

South Korea (Ung Heo 22 pts, Daesung Lee 16 pts, Lee Junghyun 12 pts) bt India (Anil Kumar BK Gowda 13 pts, Muin Bek Hafeez 12 pts 4 ast, Amjyot Singh Gill 10 pts, Prasanna Venkatesh Sivakumar 10 pts) 92–67 [19-15, 31-13, 29-20, 13-19]

Bengaluru, 15^th July 2017:  The Indian men’s basketball team lost to Iraq’s National Team 68-86 on the first day of the William Jones Cup, but there were many positives to draw from the performance. The Indians raced to an early lead after the end of the first quarter, but relinquished it after being outscored 28-13 in the second quarter.

 

Forward Amjyot Singh Gill continued his good form from the BRICS Games, with 22 points and 6 rebounds. He was also money from downtown making 4 of 6 from beyond the arc.

 

There were also enthusing displays from youngsters Gurvinder Singh Gill (10 points and 5 rebounds) and Ambati Prudhvishwar Reddy (11 points and 4 assists). Collectively, the Indian team’s shooting from three point range was very impressive, as they made 12 three pointers on a 55% conversion rate.

 

India though will need to work on reducing its turnovers (33) as it takes on South Korea’s National Team on 16^th July at 1100 hrs CST (0830 IST).

 

Iraq (Demaro Aquan Mayfield 19 pts, Ali Hamad 17 pts, Omar Alazawi 15 pts) bt India (Amjyot Singh Gill 22 pts, Ambati Prudhvishwar Reddy 11 pts, Gurvinder Singh Gill 10 pts) 86–68 [11-19, 28-13, 32-24, 15-12]

Bengaluru, 12^th July 2017:  The Indian men’s basketball team is all set to depart for the 39^th William Jones Cup International Basketball Tournament, which will be held from 15^th to 23^rd July 2017 in Taipei, Chinese Taipei.

The team is led by centre Rikin Pethani, and comprises Amjyot Singh Gill, Anil Kumar Gowda, Arjun Singh, Pratham Singh, Basil Philip, Jeevanantham Pandi, Ambati Prudhvishwar Reddy, P Baladhaneshwar, Gurvinder Singh Gill, Prasanna Sivakumar and Muin Bek Hafeez. The teams coaching staff includes S Baskar and Sebastian P J.

 

The William Jones Cup is a basketball tournament that has been held annually in Taipei since 1977. The tournament was named in honour of Renato William Jones, who was one of the founders of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). One team represents each country, and that team could be the national team, a professional club, or a college team. There are ten teams competing in the tournament this year. The tournament will be played in a single round-robin format, and the final points tally will determine the placing of the teams.

 

The men’s team will depart on 13^th July from New Delhi and their schedule is as follows:

• 15^th July, 1100 hrs CST (or 0830 hrs IST)- versus Iraq
• 16^th July, 1100 hrs CST (or 0830 hrs IST)- versus South Korea
• 17^th July, 1700 hrs CST (or 1430 hrs IST)- versus Republic of China – Blue
• 18^th July, 1500 hrs CST (or 1230 hrs IST)- versus Iran
• 19^th July, 1300 hrs CST (or 1030 hrs IST)- versus Lithuania
• 20^th July, 1500 hrs CST (or 1230 hrs IST)- versus Republic of China – White
• 21^st July, 1100 hrs CST (or 0830 hrs IST)- versus Canada
• 22^nd July, 1300 hrs CST (or 1030 hrs IST)- versus Philippines
• 23^rd July, 1500 hrs CST (or 1230 hrs IST)- versus Japan

All the games will be played at the Basketball Stadium of Heping Elementary School, Taipei City. The William Jones Cup will serve as excellent competitive exposure for India ahead of the FIBA Men’s Asia Cup to be held in Lebanon from 8^th to 20^th August 2017.

 

Last year, Phillipines’ Mighty Sports club team took gold in the men’s tournament, while South Korea and Republic of China (i.e. Chinese Taipei) – Blue finished second and third respectively. India finished 1-7 in this edition.

 

INDIAN CONTINGENT FOR THE 39^TH WILLIAM JONES CUP

 

Sr. No.	First Name	Middle and Last Name	Position	DOB	State/Unit
1	Ambati	PRUDHVISHWAR REDDY	PG	02/10/96	Telangana
2	Anil Kumar	BUKANKERE KRISHNE GOWDA	SG	31/07/89	Karnataka/Vijaya Bank
3	Arjun	SINGH	G	08/06/92	Uttarakhand/ONGC
4	Pratham	SINGH	SG	01/10/91	Tamil Nadu/IOB
5	Basil	PHILIP	SG	10/01/91	Kerala/Customs & Central Excise
6	Jeevanantham	PANDI	PF/C	13/10/94	Tamil Nadu/IOB
7	Rikin	PETHANI	C	02/12/90	Tamil Nadu/Income Tax
8	Amjyot Singh	GILL	PF	27/01/92	Punjab
9	Baladhaneshwar	POIYAMOZHI	PG	07/12/92	Tamil Nadu
10	Gurvinder Singh	GILL	PF/C	21/01/96	Punjab
11	Prasanna Venkatesh	SIVAKUMAR	SF	25/09/92	Tamil Nadu/IOB
12	Muin Bek	HAFEEZ	SF	28/01/91	Tamil Nadu
Support Staff
13	Baskar	SAPPANIAMBALAM	Coach	20/07/66	Tamil Nadu
14	Padipurakkal Joseph	SEBASTIAN	Coach	21/05/67	Kerala
15	Devender	KUMAR	Manager	04/07/56	Delhi
16	Raj Kumar	DUBEY	Physiotherapist	01/06/68	Uttarakhand/ONGC
17	Peter Santhosh Divaker	PEREJI	Referee	03/07/73	Telangana

*PG – Point Guard / Feeder, G – Guard, F – Forward, G/F – Wing, PF – Power Forward, C – Centre, PF/C – Post

Bengaluru, 10^th July 2017: Late last evening, on the final day of the William Jones Cup, the China ‘White’ team beat the Indian women’s basketball team 79-41.

Kavita Akula starred for the Indian women with 13 points, finding her shooting touch from beyond the arc, hitting three threes. India was dominant on the boards again, out-rebounding the Chinese women 43-35, led by Anjana P G with 10 rebounds.

This was the India’s final game before the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup later this month in Bengaluru. The William Jones Cup has been a key warm up event giving the Indian players an opportunity to showcase their skills and stake a claim for an enhanced role at the Asia Cup. They did not disappoint: while senior players Jeena Skaria and captain Anitha Paul Durai were consistent throughout, youngsters like Kavita Akula and Anmolpreet Kaur stepped up with encouraging performances. A matter of concern though will be the fitness of forward Poojamol K S, who suffered a knee injury during the last match against China ‘White’. Further details as to her participation in the Asia Cup are awaited.

Now, the focus shifts to Bengaluru, where India will be focused on securing promotion from Division ‘B’ to Division ‘A’.

Republic of China White (Hsiao-Tung Peng 14 pts; Lin-Chuan Huang 12 pts; Wang Wei Lin ‘#11’ 11 pts) bt India (Kavita Akula 13 pts, 8 rebs; Anjana P G 10 rebs; Anitha Paul Durai 7 pts) 79-41 [24-13, 22-11, 20-3, 13-14]

Bengaluru, 8^th July 2017: On day four of the William Jones Cup, India continued to show improvement in the run-up to the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup later this month in Bangalore. Even though India lost 59-113, there were quite a few positives to draw from their performance against a strong Chinese team, as the Indian women shot a healthy 45 percent from the field, and rebounded the ball well. China are 10^th in the FIBA women’s rankings.

 

Head coach Zoran Visic made two changes to the starting line-up that began the game against South Korea, bringing point guard Kavita Akula and Rajapriyadharshini R in for Poonam Chaturvedi and Barkha Sonkar. The coach will be encouraged by the all-round performances from Jeena Skaria in back to back games, as she dropped 15 points on 7-of-13 shooting and grabbed 8 rebounds. Shireen Limaye also stepped up, with 14 points that included two 3 pointers.

 

But the Chinese women got off to a fast start in the game, leading 31-9 after the first quarter. They held their lead throughout, eventually prevailing because they shot the ball better overall: 60 percent from the field and 48 percent from beyond the arc. Five Chinese players finished the game with points in double figures.

 

Next up, the Indian women play China ‘White’ on 9^th July at 1700 hrs CST (1430 IST).

 

Republic of China Blue (Wu Ying Jie 28 pts; Zheng Yi Xiu 18 pts; Huang Xiang Ting 13 pts) bt India (Jeena Skaria 15 pts, 8rebs; Shireen Limaye 14 pts; Anitha Paul Durai 8 pts) 113–59 [31-9, 23-13, 25-22, 34-15]

Bengaluru, 7^th July 2017:  The Indian women’s basketball team continued their campaign at the 39^th William Jones Cup International Basketball Tournament against South Korea.

The team put in a much improved performance after the first two games of the tournament. Going into the fourth quarter, the Indian women were trailing 47-37. Point guard Kavita Akula and captain Anitha Paul Durai, who was restored to the starting line-up after being rested in the last game, rallied strongly to close the gap to five, but the team eventually lost 56-61.

Head coach Zoran Visic continued to chop and change the starting line-up with one eye on the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup in Bangalore later this month. He handed Barkha Sonkar, Shireen Limaye, and Poonam Chaturvedi their first starts of the tournament. Shireen Limaye made the most of the opportunity, scoring 6 points and racking up 5 rebounds.

Jeena Skaria was the top performer for the Indian women, coming off the bench to drop 9 points and grab an impressive 13 rebounds. Collectively, the Indians were strong off the boards, out-rebounding the Korean women 41-25. The team’s shooting from beyond the arc was also much improved, with an impressive rate of 36%.

Next up, the Indian women play China ‘Blue’ on 8^th July at 1900 hrs CST (1630 IST).

South Korea (Kim Hyeon 16 pts; Kim Min Jung 13 pts; Kim Bo Mi 13 pts) bt India (Jeena Skaria 9 pts, 13 rebs; Anitha Paul Durai 7 pts; Navaneetha Pattemane Udayaumar 7 pts) 56-51 [17-13, 11–10, 19–14, 9–14]

Bengaluru, 6^th July 2017:  The Indian women’s basketball team came up against a strong Japanese team in their second game of the 39^th William Jones Cup, to lose 42-93. This was always going to be a tough game, as the Japanese women’s team are ranked 13^th in the world, and Indian basketballfans will be encouraged by the performance put in by the Indian women.

 

The team featured a much changed starting line-up, as head coach Zoran Vicic gave the bench an opportunity to stake a claim for an enhanced role in the upcoming FIBA Women’s Asia Cup in Bangalore later this month. Captain Anitha Paul Durai, R Rajapriyadharshini, and Jeena Skaria were replaced by Anjana P G, Navaneetha P U, and Anmolpreet Kaur in the starting line-up. All three put in hearty performances, but the coach will be particularly encouraged by Anjana P G, who had 4 points and 6 rebounds.

 

In the end, the Indian team was no match for the quick scoring Japanese women. As a team, the Japanese shot 49% from the field and 33% from beyond the arc, with five players finishing the game with points in double figures. The Japanese women raced to a 36-13 lead at the end of the first quarter, an offensive performance that was typified by a quick fire 13 points in 5 minutes from Hayashi Saki. She finished the game with 17 points.

 

Next up, the Indian women play South Korea on 7^th July at 1500 hrs CST (1230 IST).

 

Japan (Hayashi Saki 17pts, Mirai Tamura 15 pts, Midori Murayama 10 reb) bt India (Raspreet Sidhu 9 pts, Shireen Limaye 8 pts) 93-42 [36-13, 20-7, 12-8, 25-14]

Bengaluru, 5^th July 2017:  The Indian women’s basketball team has begun its 39^th William Jones Cup International Basketball Tournament campaign with a 52-75 loss to New Zealand. The Indian women, seeking valuable exposure before the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup later this month, were hoping for a positive start. But their opponents, the “Tall Ferns” raced to a 9 point lead at the first quarter, and extended it to 16 points by half time.

 

The New Zealanders were led by the scoring of Micaela Cocks with 21 points, supported by Chevannah Paalvast and Jillian Harmon who dropped 15 and 11 points respectively. The “Tall Ferns” lived up to their moniker, out-rebounding the Indian team 43-31.

In contrast, the Indian women shot 42% from the field, and will definitely look to improve from beyond the arc (6/21) and the free throw line (2/7). This being their first competitive outing in months, the Indian women’s 24 turnovers can be overlooked, provided they to do a better job of protecting the ball in coming matches. The top performers for the Indian team were captain Anitha Paul Durai with 15 points, and R Rajapriyadharshini with 8 rebounds, while veteran shooting guard Raspreet Sidhu chipped in with 11.

Next up, the Indian women play Japan on 6^th July at 1500 hrs CST (1230 IST).

New Zealand (Micaela Cocks 21 pts, Chevannah Paalvast 15 pts, Jillian Harmon 11 pts) bt India (Anitha Paul Durai 15 pts, Raspreet Sidhu 11 pts, R Rajapriyadharshini 8 reb) 75–52 [24 – 15, 18 – 11, 13 – 9, 20 – 17]