Clinical India power past Uzbekistan
Backed by a raucous home crowd and captain Anitha Paul Durai leading from the front, hosts India opened their account with a heartening 92-76 win over Group A challengers Uzbekistan, in their Fiba Women’s Asia Cup Division B clash at the Kanteerava Indoor Stadium on Sunday.
Zoran Visic’s side got into the groove from the start, as shooting guard Durai took aim from afar with aplomb. Rajapriyadharshini Rajaganapathi chipped in with a couple of free throws, leaving India 19-9 to the good.
Throughout the match, the Indian defence tackled the tall Uzbek centre Aliya Samatova, not giving her space to find the target. The Indians pushed their counterparts out wide, crowding out the centre whilst breaking away with precision through point guard Kavita Akula.
Uzbekistan captain Elena Khusnitdinova briefly threatened alongside forward Elvira Salavatova as they netted 14 and 15 points respectively. The hosts’ Poonam Chaturvedi made an entertaining cameo, terrorising her opponents with her 6’11’’ frame at both ends picking valuable points.
Durai finished with 28 points and an astonishing 85 per cent accuracy rate from three-pointers, while substitute Grima Varghese bagged 11 points in the last quarter. The hosts were hardly threatened, never letting their lead diminish under nine points, as they cantered to a glorious start. Opals sail past Korea First-time entrants in the competition Australia backed up their credentials as the top-seeded side, defeating fellow contenders Korea 78-54 in the tournament’s opening fixture. Forwards Kelsey Griffin and Alanna Smith made a big impression on debuts, topscoring with 15 and 13 points respectively as the Opals overcame a sluggish start in the first quarter to seize the advantage in Group A.
The Koreans won’t have it easy against defending champions Japan in their next fixture, as the latter took the Philippines to the cleaners, trouncing the side ranked 49th in the world 106-55. Forward Mawuli Evelyn was lethal on the wings with a high number of field goal attempts, netting 21 points.
In Group B, Chinese Taipei pipped DPR Korea 77-76 in an enthralling contest, taking the first step towards World Cup qualification.
North Korean centre Ro Suk Yong was the fulcrum for her side, with accurate close-range shooting bagging her 36 points. Her efforts went in vain as Chinese Taipei clawed back a eight-point deficit to pull level 60-60 in the third quarter, before sealing the deal.