India suffer defeat against New Zealand to exit FIBA Women's Asia Cup

This is the Young Cagers' third successive loss in the competition.

The Indian women's national basketball team finished their FIBA Women's Asia Cup 2021 campaign with a 109-49 loss at the hands of New Zealand on Wednesday.

The Young Cagers knew that they had a slim chance of staying in the competition. In order to do so, they had to get the better of New Zealand in the final Group A match-up. However, it was always going to be a tough task against a New Zealand side comprising of several talented players. They made the perfect start courtesy of Chevannah Paalvast.

The Tall Ferns' No. 10 made a three-point jump shot to open the scoring. Since that point, New Zealand were a step in front throughout the contest. By the end of the first quarter of a crucial Asia Cup tie, they had a 28-14 lead.

Penina Davidson came alive in the second quarter, as her team grabbed a 50-27 lead at the end of it. The third quarter turned out to be the poorest for the Indian team, managing a mere seven points. By the fourth quarter, Mary Goulding was proving to be too hot to handle, as New Zealand broke the 100-point barrier without much resistance.

Goulding's excellent outing meant she was the highest points scorer for the Tall Ferns, registering 18. As for India, Sathiya Senthil Kumar was the only one to get into double digits, with 10 points. This is India's third consecutive loss in Group A to close out their FIBA Women's Asia Cup campaign. To make matters worse, Zoran Visic's girls have conceded more than 100 points in each of their three matches.

New Zealand keep their hopes alive

World No. 36 New Zealand have kept their FIBA Women's Asia Cup hopes alive. This is due to the competition format, which is taking place in Amman, Jordan. The third-placed teams in Group A and B will take on the second-placed teams in the corresponding groups for a place in the semis.

Courtesy of a victory over India, New Zealand will finish in third place in Group A and will face the runners-up of Group B. Earlier in the day, defending champions Japan secured a thrilling 67-62 victory over South Korea to emerge as Group A winners.

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