FIBA Olympic Asia Pre-Qualifying tournament: Saudi Arabia knocks India out with a 92-75 win
India are knocked out of the FIBA Olympic Asia Pre-Qualifying tournament as they lost 75-92 to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.
In the six-team competition, the team finishing at the top of the table will qualify for the next round of the Olympic Qualifiers. With this loss, India cannot finish at the top of the table. Bahrain, who are unbeaten after four matches, are qualified for the next round.
India began their campaign well with two wins. However, they could not defeat higher-ranked teams - Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia.
On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia proved too good for the Indian team. They won the first quarter by 27-14 and extended their lead in the next quarter to finish with 23-14.
India started the second half with a bang and even outperformed Saudi Arabia with a 20-18 win in the third quarter. Despite playing a better game in the second half, India lost by 75-92.
With this win, Saudi Arabia moves to the second spot, ahead of the Indian team in the points table. They have six points from four matches and a point difference of +14.
India also has six points, but their point difference is +7. Kazakhstan is in fourth place with six points and a points difference of -28. Indonesia and Syria are at the bottom of the table with one win and five points each.
FIBA Olympic Asia Pre-Qualifying tournament results on Day 5
Bahrain qualified for the next round of the Qualifiers with a 95-72 victory over Indonesia. They are the only unbeaten team in the FIBA Olympic Asia Pre-Qualifying tournament with four wins in a row now.
Bahrain won the first three quarters with 23-16, 22-15, and 27-17. Indonesia finished the final quarter on top with 24-23. The Bahrain team will meet India in their final match.
Kazakhstan defeated Syria in the 3rd match on Wednesday. They ended with 85-70 against the hosts. Robert Pan was the star of the team with 30 points to his name. They will take on Saudi Arabia on Thursday, while Indonesia will face Syria in their final match of the FIBA Olympic Asia Pre-Qualifying tournament.