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The Indian national men’s basketball team has tipped off its 2015 FIBA Asia Championship campaign in style, comfortably beating Malaysia 102-73. Considering that the remaining two teams in Group A are Asian powerhouses Iran and Japan, today’s opening win is significant as it puts India on course to a spot in the next round. The top three teams from each of the four groups qualify to the second round of this championship that is underway in Changsha, China.
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India started the match strong, with veteran ONGC forward Yadwinder Singh converting early, to take India to a 29-19 first quarter lead. The second quarter proved tighter as Malaysia clamped down on the defensive end to deny India easy opportunities. India led 47-32 at halftime. Although India has won 7 out of the last 8 head to head games against Malaysia, the last time the two teams faced each other in 2011, Malaysia had edged past India 71-67.
Tonight, there would be no such luck for the South East Asian nation, as a disciplined India kept the scoreboard ticking with 26 and 29 point third and fourth quarters. Malaysia matched India’s scoring in the fourth quarter, but by then India was sitting pretty with a near 30 point lead.
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The sheen of a 100 point scoring performance notwithstanding, the story of the game for India was its dominance in the paint, enjoying a whopping 21-9 offensive rebounds differential which in turn contributed to the side scoring twice as many points in the paint as their opponents (52 to 26).
India (Amjyot Singh 24 pts and 10 rbs, Akilan Pari 18 pts & 4 assists, Yadwinder Singh 16 pts & 9 rbs, Arvind Arumugam 13 pts, Amritpal Singh 12 pts & 9 rbs) bt Malaysia (Ivan Leo 18 pts & 10 rbs, Tian Kuek 10 pts, Liang Yek 10 pts) 102-73 [29-19, 18-13, 26-12, 29-29]
Multiple stars
Prior to the tournament, veteran ONGC forward Yadwinder Singh had predicted, “Amritpal Singh and Amjyot Singh are in good shape and have performed brilliantly in Japan and I know they will compete very well in the Asian Championship too.”
Playing to their potential, forwards Amjyot and Amritpal [who are both plying their trade in the Japanese pro league] dominated the paint, while point guard Akilan Pari turned in a personal best performance of 18 points and 4 assists. The sharpshooting Pari was particularly impressive from beyond the arc, firing in four of his six three point attempts. Pari ended as India’s most efficient performer of the game.
“We are very happy to win this first game as it is a big step towards qualifying to the second round. I made the most of my chance in the starting five and reposed the faith that my teammates and coaches have in me. It was a good shooting day!” said Pari after the game. “I would like to thank my first Head Coach Scott Flemming for building my confidence, as well as the current coaches.”
On their part, Amjyot underlined his class as one of Asia’s finest young talents registering 24 points and 10 rebounds, while Amritpal was ruthlessly efficient in his 12 point, 9 rebound performance, which included 5 offensive boards.
Beyond these three, other notable performers for India were veteran forward Yadwinder Singh (16 pts & 7 rbs), the athletic Arvind A (13 pts & 5 rbs) and the always consistent captain Vishesh Bhriguvanshi, who had a team high 6 assists and 3 steals to go along with his 9 points.
The next assignment for India will be against reigning Asian Champs Iran tomorrow, 24th September at 9:15 IST.
INDIAN SQUAD FOR THE 28TH FIBA ASIA MEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP 2015
| Jersey No | Name | Date of Birth (dd/mm/yyyy) | Place of Birth (City & State) | Height (cm) | Weight (Kg) | Position | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03 | Vinay Kaushik | 30/08/1991 | Lakhan Majra | Haryana | 189 | 88 | F |
| 04 | Rajesh Prakash Uppar | 20/01/1991 | Dharwad | Karnataka | 172 | 67 | PG |
| 07 | Siddhant Sanjay Shinde | 15/06/1991 | Pune | Maharashtra | 180 | 75 | G |
| 09 | Vishesh Bhriguvanshi | 13/09/1991 | Varanasi | Uttar Pradesh | 193 | 95 | G/F |
| 10 | Amritpal Singh | 05/01/1991 | Ganna Pind | Punjab | 207 | 110 | C |
| 13 | Vikas Kumar | 13/11/1988 | Dablain | Haryana | 183 | 80 | F |
| 14 | Yadwinder Singh | 30/12/1986 | Rasulpur Khurd | Haryana | 196 | 90 | F |
| 15 | Arvind Arumugam | 28/01/1991 | Mandya | Karnataka | 197 | 94 | PF |
| 22 | Amjyot Singh | 27/01/1992 | Chandigarh | Punjab/ Haryana | 203 | 104 | F |
| 66 | Akilan Pari | 20/07/1989 | Chennai | Tamil Nadu | 180 | 70 | PG |
| 69 | Akashdeep Hazra | 01/07/1996 | Baroda | Gujarat | 213 | 98 | C |
| 96 | Gurvinder Singh Gill | 21/01/1996 | Chandigarh | Punjab/ Haryana | 200 | 90 | PF |
*PG - Point Guard / Feeder, G - Guard, F - Forward, G/F - Wing, PF - Power Forward, C - Centre, PF/C - Pivot
13) Team Manager: Mr Goutam Ganguly (West Bengal)
14) Head Coach: Mr Sat Prakash (Rajasthan)
15) Assistant Coach: Mr Sebastian Padipurakkal Joseph (Kerala)
16) Team Physio: Dr Nikhil Nellikka Puthiyandi (Karnataka)
Referees:
17) Mr Atanu Banerjee (West Bengal)
18) Mr Ceceline Michael Vino (Tamil Nadu)
19) Snehal Bendke (Maharashtra)
About the 28th FIBA Asia Men’s Championship 2015
Preliminary Round Groups
Group A: Iran, India, Malaysia and Japan
Group B: Hong Kong, Palestine, Philippines and Kuwait
Group C: China, Korea, Jordan and Singapore
Group D: Chinese Taipei, Lebanon, Qatar and Kazakhstan
Tournament Format
This will be the 28th edition of the Asian Men’s Basketball Championship. 16 teams are expected participate in this championship and are divided into four groups (A, B, C and D) of four teams each. League matches are conducted within each group and the top three teams from each group proceed to the second round.
The second round will comprise 12 teams in total split into two groups (E and F) of six teams each. The three top teams from groups A and B after the first round will be placed in Group E in the second round, while groups C and D’s top three teams will be placed in Group F.
In the second round, the top four teams each from Group C and D progress to the quarterfinals, followed by the semi-finals and finals. The 2015 FIBA Asia Championship is a qualifier for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The winner qualifies automatically for 2016 Men's Olympic Basketball Tournament.
The 2nd, 3rd and 4th place teams earn spots for 2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT).
