2013 FIBA Asia Championship: India lose to Kazakhstan 67-80

India lost their third Group D game 67-80 against Kazakhstan today at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay, Philippines. After losing to Bahrain in overtime in Game 1 and beating Thailand in Game 2, this was a match between the two group leaders as Kazakhstan had won their both of their games.

The Kazakhstan defence was hard to beat in the early stages as India turned the ball over after a shot clock violation. India then resorted to outside shots as both Vishesh Bhriguvanshi and Narender Kumar Grewal scored with 3 pointers in the first quarter to grab the lead.

But a late run from Kazakhstan saw Indian coach Scott Flemming take a timeout to change his strategy. It worked as the Indians rotated the ball better to their in-form shooter Grewal, who was hot from behind the arc.

The game was a lot more physical compared to the first two games against Bahrain and Thailand. But India weren’t deterred as even Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Yevstigneyev was floored when Amritpal Singh boxed him out to grab a rebound.

Kazakhstan looked the more organised outfit as they resorted to pick and rolls and a lot of player-ball movement on the court, trying to find an opening. A last second 3-pointer from Kazakhstan’s Jerri Johnson ended the first quarter with India trailing 20-19.

India improved early in the second quarter and relied on speed and fast breaks to grab the lead. Kazakhstan’s fleet-footed Johnson was everywhere as he grabbed loose balls and managed to score second chance points.

With Kazakhstan looking to run away with a lead, coach Flemming introduced 17-year old Satnam Singh (the biggest player in the tournament at 7’2”). But Kazakhstan’s Alexandr Zhigulin responded with a huge 3-pointer to help his team get a seven-point lead before India took another timeout.

Amjyot Singh was introduced into the game and he produced a moment of inspiration as he grabbed a rebound and dunked the ball at the same time, even getting a warning from the referee for hanging on the rim.

But that was enough to spark a comeback and worry Kazakhstan. Joginder Singh also joined the party with a brilliant fake, side step and quick 3-pointer. The second half ended with Kazakhstan leading 43-38. Grewal and Bhriguvanshi had 10 points each while Joginder Singh had eight.

Kazakhstan had done their homework on Grewal. Being a player who fancied the baseline, he was closed down well, leading to a turnover early in the third quarter. Amjyot continued his impressive work under the rim on blocks and rebounds.

In contrast, Amritpal Singh wasn’t able to assert his authority and was taken off after he (and India) got into foul trouble. Kazakhstan’s Johnson continued to heap misery on the Indians, scoring at a consistent rate as they grabbed a huge lead.

Satnam Singh came back into the game and showed his potential with a neat fade away jump shot. But India still trailed 67-48 at the end of the third.

India fought back through some wonderful moves from the big man Satnam Singh and accurate shooting from Bhriguvanshi. But they weren’t able to work it at both ends of the court as Kazakhstan maintained a double digit lead in spite of India pressing them into turnovers.

Grewal and Bhriguvanshi attempted some outside shots to reduce the deficit. But the Kazakhstan players were definitely the fitter team as they made tireless runs from end to end to ensure they won the game 67-80 to top Group D with three wins out of three.

Bhriguvanshi was India’s top scorer with 19 points followed by Grewal with 14 points and Joginder with 10. Satnam Singh contributed with eight points. For Kazakhstan, Yevstigneyev had 21 points and Johnson had 16. Yargaliyev and Ponomarev also chipped in with 13 and 11 points respectively.

With this loss, India will have to wait for the result between Thailand and Bahrain later today to see where they stand in Group D. The top three teams advance to the next round. If Bahrain beat Thailand, India will automatically qualify. Thailand need to beat Bahrain by a huge margin to have any chance of qualifying for the next round.