4: FIBA U18 Asia- India to face Japan in final group game

New Delhi/Bengaluru, 16^th November, 2016: The Indian U18 women's team lost to South Korea, at the 23rd FIBA Asia U18 Championship for Women in Bangkok, Thailand. The side is now 0-4 and faces Japan tomorrow (16^th November, 3:30 pm IST) in its final Group A match.

All matches are being streamed live on FIBA’s YouTube channel.

India started off strong, scoring 12 points in the first quarter against Korea’s 13. But the remaining three periods were dominated by the East Asian powerhouse who sealed the easy 69-27 win.

Yet again for India, centre Nimmi George was its most efficient player, snagging 9 rebounds to go along with her 4 points, 2 assists and a block.

India is now out of contention of the medal rounds. After its last league match vs Japan tomorrow, the side will compete in a qualifying match with the top team from lower Level II (winner of Indonesia vs Malaysia), in a bid to stay on in upper Level 1 in the next edition of this championship.

Korea (Hyemi Lee 10 pts, Yunjeong Na 10 pts, Juyeon Lee 12 pts) bt India (Srishti Suren 11 reb & 4 pts, Nimmi George 9 reb & 4 pts, Bhandavya HM 4 pts) 69-27 [13-12, 20-4, 17-2, 19-9]

India’s Upcoming Schedule [Timings in IST]

All games are being streamed live on FIBA’s YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/channel/UCtInrnU3QbWqFGsdKT1GZtg

vs Japan – 17^th November, 3:30 PM

Rest Day – 18^th November

Knockout and Placement Rounds – 19^th and 20^th November

For more details see: http://www.fiba.com/asia/u18women/2016/fullschedule

About the 23^rd FIBA U18 Asia Championship 2016

The 23^rd FIBA U18 Asia Championship 2016 is taking place in Bangkok, Thailand, from the 13^th to the 20^th of November.

The top 3 teams will represent Asia at the 2017 FIBA U19 Women's World Championship in Cairo, Egypt.

Format

The 12-team event has been split into two levels: upper Level 1 (or Group A) and lower level 2 (Group B):

Level 1 (Group A) Teams: China, Japan, Korea, Chinese Taipei, India and hosts Thailand

Level 2 (Group B) Teams: Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka and Indonesia

This is a league cum knockout format. The group phase of the tournament will be played in a round-robin format, with each team playing every other team in their group.  The top four teams from Group A progress to the semifinals, while the bottom two Group A teams will play relegation matches with the top two teams from Group B.

For more information:  http://www.fiba.com/asia/u18women/2016/competition-system

Championship History

The FIBA U18 Asia Championship was first instituted in 1970 and the inaugural edition of the tournament took place in Seoul, South Korea. Coming into this 23^rdedition, China and Japan are the three time defending champions and first runners up respectively.

India’s Past Record

Prior to the upcoming 23^rd edition, India has participated in the tournament 13 times and has also hosted it once (New Delhi, 2000). India’s best performance at the event came in 1980 when it was placed 4^th.

Thereafter the side went into a bit of a lull, getting relegated to lower Level 2 by the end of the 2008 edition. In 2012, the team climbed back into upper Level 1 where it has continued to compete till date.

India will be looking improve upon its 6^th place finish in the last edition of the championship (in 2014).

Indian Squad

The team is being captained by the talented Bhandavya HM (who had already debuted on the senior team last year) and coached by the seasoned Shiba Maggon, a former India Women’s Captain.

Indian Squad for the 23^rd FIBA U18 Women’s Championship 2016

Jersey  No	Family Name(s) /Last Name	First Name(s) /Given Name	Date of Birth (dd/mm/yyyy)	Place of Birth		Height (cm) (ft and inches)	Weight (Kg)	Position
				City	State
07	Prabhakara	Priyanka	03/10/1998	Nemmara	Kerala	177 (5’ 9’’)	54	SG
10	Verma	Riya	08/01/1998	Bhilai	Chhattisgarh	162 (5’ 3’’)	54	SG
14	Masilamani	Nishanti	14/10/1999	Chennai	Tamil Nadu	168 (5’ 6’’)	50	PG
15	Sandhu	Aakarshan	02/03/1999	Chandigarh	Chandigarh	183 (6’)	78	C
20	Pandey	Sakshi	30/04/1998	Jabalpur	Madhya Pradesh	175 (5’ 8’’)	51	SG
23	Menezes	Carina Clarence	27/11/1998	Thane	Mumbai	175 (5’ 8’’)	58	SF
27	Hemmige Mahesha	Bhandavya	18/04/1998	Mandya	Karnataka	166 (5’ 5’’)	56	SG
29	Chakravortty	Sushantika	24/08/2000	Delhi	Delhi	180 (5’ 10’’)	72	PF
54	George	Nimmi	01/04/1998	Chalakudy	Kerala	183 (6’)	60	C
75	Illath Parappali	Anusha	14/03/1998	Kozhikode	Kerala	173 (5’ 8’’)	53	SF
86	Ali	Gulabsha	15/02/2000	Bhilai	Chhattisgarh	165 (5’ 4’’)	64	PG
99	Suren	Srishti	30/04/2000	Chennai	Tamil Nadu	180 (5’ 10’’)	59	PF

*PG - Point Guard / Feeder, G - Guard, F - Forward, G/F - Wing, PF - Power Forward, C - Centre, PF/C - Post

13) Team Manager: Mr. Jugraj Singh Baidwan

14) Physio: Dr. Prachi Bipin Shah

15) Head Coach: Ms. Shiba Maggon

16) Assistant Coach: Mr. Kalva Rajeshaver Rao

17) Referee Supervisor: Mr. Naresh Chander Aneja        

18) Referee: Ms. Snehal Vidyadhar Bendke

19) Referee: Mr. Amarjot Singh Mavi

About Basketball Federation of India

The Basketball Federation of India or BFI is the governing and controlling body of basketball in India, and is responsible for the development and promotion of the sport at all levels. BFI has been involved in conducting camps, clinics, events, and training sessions at its academies for the development of basketball. BFI came into being in 1935 and took complete control over Indian basketball in 1950. Prior to that time, the Indian Olympic Association handled the conduct of Indian basketball championships. Since 1950, the BFI has been conducting various such championships, from the grassroots to senior team participation in international tournaments. In addition, the BFI has been responsible for the establishment of strong sub-junior and junior level programs. The BFI has to its credit produced several international players of repute, among them 17 have been bestowed with the honour of Arjuna Awards. Earlier in June 2015, 19-year-old Satnam Singh Bhamara made history by becoming the first Indian national to be drafted by an NBA team, when he was selected by the Dallas Mavericks. More information at www.basketballfederationindia.org