NAGPUR: Unlike their tournament opener against Japan, where they failed to take advantage of their physical strength, the Indian girls exhibited valiant effort against Asian juggernaut China in the FIBA 3x3 U-18 World Cup at Debrecen, Hungary, on Tuesday.
India's aggressive approach paid dividends, but defensive lapses proved costly as China's near-flawless shooting display propelled them to a 21-11 victory with 1.50 minutes left on the clock.
This second consecutive defeat eliminated the Indian girls from the World Cup, with China and Japan progressing to the quarterfinals, each boasting two wins. India will conclude their league campaign against Kyrgyzstan.
In their second encounter, India's offensive tactics caught China off guard. With Madhya Pradesh's Gunvi Agrawal scoring baskets at will, India maintained parity with China at 8-8 in the initial five minutes.
However, a few defensive lapses by Indian players provided China with an advantage, and within the next three minutes, the Asian powerhouse scored five two-pointers to secure a comfortable 10-point triumph.
For the winners, Wang Jiaxin top-scored with eight points. For India, Gunvi netted six points while skipper Aanaya Bhavsar and Aahana George scored identical two points.
