India succumb to Japanese juggernaut, finish eighth in Asia Cup basketball

NAGPUR: Indian cagers failed to handle the lightning-fast Japanese squad in the 7-8 classification game, culminating their U-18 Asia Cup campaign with a resounding 50-100 defeat and securing the eighth position in the 16-nation tournament which concluded in Jordan on Monday.
This eighth-place finish equaled India's 2016 record when they endured a heartbreaking 64-67 loss to the Philippines in their final classification game eight years ago.

Despite the heavy loss against Japan, the Indian team can hold their heads high as they ended their six-year wait for a victory in the continental championship and pulled off a surprise win against the higher-ranked Lebanon to enter the quarterfinals.
In a chat with TOI, Scott Flemming, the American coach of the Indian team, acknowledged their weaknesses, stating, "Our same issues hurt us again - turnovers and rebounding. Japan was a superior team and they took advantage of our weaknesses. I am still really proud of this group. Honestly, as much as we would like to win every game, I believe we exceeded expectations by making the quarterfinals and beating a higher ranked team in Lebanon. There is a long way to go with this group but it is something to build on."

In their last game of the Asia Cup, India struggled from the outset, and Japan exploited their lower-ranked opponents' weaknesses. While both the teams utilized their bench strength to the fullest, Indian cagers failed to find rhythm as pocketed the first quarter 26-10 and clinched the low scoring second period 17-12 for a handy 21-point cushion at the break.
After the half time, Japan played a dominant third period and outclassed India 34-15 to take a match winning lead. They sealed India's fate with 23-13 triumph in the last period.
For India, point guard Mirthun Vel Dhanasekar (15) and skipper Lavish (10) scored in double digits.