New Delhi: India secured their first victory of the 3rd FIBA Asia U-16 Championship for Women with a thrilling 57-55 win over Malaysia in Colombo, Sri Lanka from November 23rd to 30th.
India looked strong from the start and finished the first quarter with a seven points lead based on their strong defensive effort.
Malaysia fought back to take a 7-point lead mid-way through the 3rd quarter. India turned the tide with the help of Gagandeep Kaur who came off the bench to help tie the game at 43 at the end of 3rd quarter.
Kaur, who finished with eight points -- all in the last quarter and a half, and Mayukha Kollam Thodi steadied team India in the fourth with their stellar defense and rebounding.
Bhandavya Mahesha was the top scorer for India with 12 points, followed by Riya Verma and Kollam Thodi who scored 11 and 10, respectively.
As Team India celebrated, coach TD Biju breathed a sigh of relief as the game was too close for his comfort.
With India up 4 with one minute remaining, Malaysia hit a 2 point shot with 28 seconds remaining after an offensive rebound. India tried to seal the victory after draining the shot clock down to a few seconds remaining, but Riya Verma missed an open 3 pointer.
After securing the rebound with 8 seconds left, Malaysia raced up court for a quick shot but Kollam Thodi finished off the game with a solid defensive effort to force the miss.
Head Coach TD Biju said, "It was an important victory for us. The team held its nerves in the closing minutes to lead us to victory. The credit goes to the players. The tournament is not over and we would look to take this momentum forward to the next game against Chinese Taipei."
Result: India (Bhandavya Hemmige 12, Riya Verma 11, Mayukha Kollam Thodi 10) Bt Malaysia (Ky Lie Hiew 12, Kar Syuen Khoo11) 57-55 (17-10, 12-14, 14-19, 14-12).
