FIBA U18 Asia Cup 2024: India loses to Korea by 72 points in their opening tie

Outpaced, outrebounded, and outscored, Korea tears India with a 119-47 win.

India lost its opening match by 119-47 against Asian giants Korea in the first FIBA U18 Asia Cup 2024 match at the Prince Hamza Stadium, Jordan. Vedansh Ranot scored 8 points with 7 rebounds with 11 EFF, and Sahibjit Singh Bhullar recorded 8 points. Korea dominated with Jeonghyun Kim scoring 17 points, 11 rebounds and 3 assists on 100% field goals.

Korea outperformed India in every aspect. Their defense suffocated India, preventing them from even passing the ball effectively. Korea’s on-ball pressure forced India into 30 turnovers throughout the game. The team struggled to adapt to Korea’s aggressive defense and failed to find consistent scoring from any of its players. The lack of ball movement and offensive cohesion led to a lopsided scoreline.

Jeonghyun Kim, who scored 17 points on 100% shooting, was supported by Seungchae Gu, who added 16 points. The lineup of Kunha Kim, Seungchae Gu, Jewon Lee, Chanyeong Lee, and Jeonghyun Kim alone contributed 30 points.

The Koreans limited India to just 3 shots in the third quarter and frequently applied a full-court press, leaving India with no breathing room. The team executed their game plan with precision, shooting an impressive 55% from the field, including 40% from beyond the arc.

India’s lack of defensive awareness was evident as they allowed the speedy Korean team to score points through numerous cuts. The Indian defense often appeared chaotic as they attempted to maintain man-to-man marking, but their switches frequently led to mismatches, allowing Korea to score easily from the free-throw line. Seven Koreans managed to score in double digits.

For India, there were moments of individual brilliance from Lavish, Vedansh Ranot, Sahibjit Singh Bhullar, and Mirthun Dhanasekhar, who converted tough contested shots. Lavish led India in scoring with 10 points but struggled with poor shooting and recorded a team-high 7 turnovers.

Vedansh Ranot (11) was India’s best player according to the EFF stat, but this was not evident in a game dominated by the Koreans. Mohammed Ishan was shut down in the post whenever he got the ball and was ineffective in rebounding as well.

India now faces Iran on September 3 at 7 pm in their next fixture before playing Kuwait on September 4. Currently in second place on the table, Iran defeated Kuwait 90-53

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