FIBA U-18 Asian Championship: Indian Women enter semis after coasting to victory over Singapore
An exciting contest turned out to be a one-sided affair as India secured their place in the semi-finals with a clinical display against Singapore.
First Quarter: India 20-3 Singapore (IND - Dharshini Thirunavukkarasu 5 points; SGP - Esther Akinfiresoye Damilola Lim 2 points)
India made a mockery of the Singaporean girls, racing away to a seventeen point lead. Dharshini top-scored with five points in a period where the Singapore team scored their three points via free throws after missing seven attempts.
Second Quarter: India 38 (18) - 25 (22) Singapore (IND - Srishti Suren 7 points; SGP - Shuting Valentia Wong and Carissa Hui Ern Chan 5 points each)
Singapore won the second quarter after Valentia Wong impressed with a couple of jump shots to close down the gap to 13 points. Srishti Suren came up with a brace of three-point jump shots to keep India in the lead.
Third Quarter: India 63 (25) – 36 (11) Singapore (IND - Gulabsha Ali 13 points; SGP - Amanda Jia Qi Tang 3 points)
The Indian threesome of Gulabsha Ali, Harshitha and Ishwarya scored 25 points between them as they raced away to a mammoth 27 point lead at the end of the third period. Gulabsha Ali, in particular, produced an excellent performance, scoring a triad of three-point jump shots.
Fourth Quarter: India 79 (16) – 49 (13) Singapore (IND - Gulabsha Ali 6 points; SGP - Shuting Valentia Wong 5 points)
The Indian women concluded the game with a comfortable 30 point victory to register their place in the semi-finals. Gulabsha Ali closed the game on a high, securing six points. Gulabsha converted six of her seven two-point attempts in the game to end up with an efficiency of 85%.
Turning Point: India stormed the Singaporeans early taking a seventeen-point lead in the first period as Singapore remained scoreless in the first five minutes of the game.
Stats: India managed 39% conversion of their three-point field goals and amassed 21 assists and 46 rebounds ( 25 defensive and 21 offensive rebounds), along with an incredible 23 steals to their credit. With 21 assists, India dominated the paint, garnering 38 points, along with 26 points from turnovers, thirteen second-chance points. Players from the bench tallied 35 points.
Star players: Gulabsha Ali was the power performer of the night with a player efficiency rating of 25. She achieved 21 points and five steals, along with a couple of rebounds.
Result: India defeated Singapore 79-49 (20-3, 18-22, 25-11, 16-13)
India - Gulabsha Ali 21 points; Ishwarya Janardhanan 6 assists; Pushpa Senthil Kumar 12 rebounds, Dharshini Thirunavukkarasu 8 steals.
Singapore – Shuting Valentia Wong 12 points; Xingyue Han 7 rebounds
November 2nd: India will be facing the winner of the match between Singapore and Hong Kong.