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Japan 3peat – Crowned Group A

BENGALURU (FIBA Women’s Asia Cup 2017) – It was a truly historic night for India as they survived a thriller of a Final against Kazakhstan, 75-73, in front of a sellout Kanteerava Indoor Stadium.

BFI President K Govindaraj has announced a cash prize of INR 15,00,000/- to the Indian squad.
Australia’s Kelsey Griffin was named the Most Valuable Player of the Cup. Japan’s Manami Fujioka and Moeko Nagaoka, China’s Li Yueru and Korea’s Lim Yung Hui, along with Griffin were announced as the Asian All-Star five.

Jeena and Grima again played an important role in the Victory Jeena was ultra-efficient for the victory here, scoring 20 points on 8-of-12 field goal shooting, while Limaye added 17 points on top of 10 rebounds and 6 assists and Grima Merlin Varghese contributing 14 points were India return to Division A, and what makes it sweeter is they did it in style and at home in front of their adoring fans Raspreeth and captain Anitha also contributed with 13 and 9 points

Kazakhstan’s lead ballooned to as big as 14 points in the third period, but coach Zoran Visic’s wards did not give up. Little by little, they chipped at the deficit till they finally retook the advantage thanks to a Jeena Skaria jumper with 5:36 left, 61-60. Once again, the two squads traded blows after until Kazakhstan’s Oxana Ossipenko seemingly gave her side the lead for good, 71-66, at the 1:36 mark.

Young forward Shireen Limaye, however, rose to the occasion and took charge for the home team, teaming up with Jeena to tie the count, 71-all, with under a minute to go. Kazakhstan had a golden chance to regain the upper-hand a few seconds later, but two misses from the stripe by Zalina Kurazova stifled their momentum. That proved costly for the Central Asia quintet as Limaye once again scored to give India a 73-71 edge under 30 ticks left.

It setup a wicked wind up to the Final as Ossipenko came through for Kazakhstan tying the game up, 73-all, with 21 seconds left. India, however, had one final ace up their sleeve. Once again, they went to Limay, who was the player of the moment, sinking the game-winning, promotion-clinching basket with just 5 seconds left on the clock for the final tally.

It was a nip-and-tuck affair from the onset, with both the Kazakhs and the Indians determined to get the lone promotion ticket to Division A. Leads exchanged a handful of times in the first period before Kazakhstan hit their stride in the second quarter, outscoring India, 20-15, to take an 8-point lead into the halftime break.

As for Kazakhstan, they squandered more than a few golden opportunities to put this game away. Costly mistakes in crunch time will haunt their trip back home, and they are left with pondering on what could have been. Center Nadezhda Kondrakova exploded for 30 points for the Kazakhs, but it proved to be not enough to get the win. Kurazova added 17 points in support, shooting 7-of-8 from the free-throw stripe before her two costly misses in the final minute.

Jeena was star again as she contributed 20 points and came as the top scorer followed by
Raspreet Sidhu with 16 points and Anitha Paul Durai with 15 did an helping hand to Indian Victory

Group A Japan Crowned FIBA Asia Cup
Unlikely hero Saki Mizushima stepped up big time and led Japan to a thrilling 74-73 victory in the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup 2017 Final over Australia.

With the Opals holding a 39-33 lead at the half, Japan buckled down to work in the third quarter, outscoring Australia, 26-14, to take a 6-point lead entering the fourth period. The Aussies managed to tie the game one final time at 71-all before Mizushima hit her seventh and final three-pointer of the game to give Japan just enough breathing room till the final buzzer.

Mizushima paced the winners with 26 points, while tournament MVP Kelsey Griffin had 30 points and 15 rebounds for Australia.

Griffin was joined in the All-Star Five by Japan’s Manami Fujioka and Moeko Nagaoka, China’s Li Yueru and Korea’s Lim YungHui. The MVP and All-Star Five awards were offered by Tissot.

Earlier in the day, China upended Korea in the battle for third place, 75-51. Chinese Taipei blew out New Zealand, 65-45, for fifth place, and the Philippines retained their Division A status after beating DPR Korea, 78-63.

This comes after they won their respective Quarter-Finals at the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup 2017 on Friday.

Led by Alanna Smith, who scored 20 points and grabbed 9 rebounds, Australia cruised past DPR Korea, 81-48, for their fourth win in as many games. The Opals were better across the board in their victory, gaining more rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks than their East Asia foes. Also impressing for Australia were Sara Blicavs, who had 13 points and 3 steals, and Stephanie Cumming, who hit 3 triples en route to 11 points off the bench.

Korean rising star Park JiSu, meanwhile, stepped up big time and led her squad as they whipped New Zealand, 64-49. The 18-year-old 1.95m center exploded for 19 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocks in a near-unstoppable show of force. She also got ample support from Lim YungHui and Kwak JooYeong, who scored 14 and 11 points respectively, while Jillian Harmon paced the Tall Ferns with 13 points. New Zealand’s hopes of barging into the Women’s Basketball World Cup were dashed.

In contrast, China hardly broke a sweat in showing the Philippines the door, 117-43. The Chinese flexed their muscle early and often against the visibly outmatched Filipinas, who were groping for form the whole game. Rising star Li Yueru continued her dominant play with 17 points and 12 rebounds, while 21-year-old Huang Sijing had an all-around stat-line of 15 points, 8 boards and 5 assists for the undefeated powerhouse.

Japan, for their part, had to fend off a stubborn Chinese Taipei, 73-57, and it was Moeko Nagaoka who starred for the Akatsuki Five. She tallied 28 points on 12-of-17 shooting from the field while also sinking 3 triples in a scintillating offensive display. What began as a see-saw affair was controlled by Japan midway through the second period, and they never looked back till the final buzzer.

Australia will face Korea, and China will play Japan in Friday’s Semi-Finals of the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup 2017 to determine the two that will fight for the continental crown on Saturday.

Detailed Results (group A) Final
Japan (Saki Mizushima 26 pts, Yuki Miyazawa 11 pts, Moeko Nagaoka 10 pts) bt Australia (Kelsey Griffin 30 pts 15 rbs, Marianna Tolo 13 pts, Belinda Snell 9 pts) 74-73 [17-17, 16-22, 26-14, 15-20]

Losers Final
China(Yueru Li 16 pts 11 rbs, Sijing Huang 16 pts, Meng Li 9 pts) bt Korea (Jisu Park 14 pts 11 rbs, Leesul Kang 13 pts, Yung Hui Lim 12 pts) 75-51 [20-19, 21-15, 17-11, 17-6]

5th and 6th Place
Chinese Taipei (Ting-Jen Huang 10, Hsi-Le Bao 10, Yu-Ting Lin 9) bt New Zealand (Micaela Cocks 10, Kalani Purcell 8, Antonia Edmondson 8) 65-45 [20-4, 13-15, 15-13, 17-13]

Group B Final
India (Jeena Skaria 20 pts, Shireen Limaye 17 pts 10 rbs 6 asts, Grima Merlin Verghese 14 pts) bt Kazakhstan (Nadezhda Kondrakova 30 pts 18 rbs, Zalina Kurazova 17 pts, Oxana Ossipenko 8)

Losers Final
Lebanon (Rebecca Akl 20, El Charif Chirine 10) bt Uzbekistan (Elena Khusnitdinova 22) 59-55 [8-13, 17-11, 16-17, 18-14]

5th and 6th Place
Singapore (Zhi Lim 26 pts, Cheryl Poon 11 pts) bt Fiji (Mili Koyamainavure 31 pts 11 rebs, Dale Wise 15 pts) 80-65 [24-7, 20-17, 16-16, 20-25]