India lost 61-92 to Chinese Taipei in their Group A opener of the 26th Asian Women's Basketball Championship here on Saturday.
Chinese Taipei, who finished fourth in the 2013 edition, were the clear favourites entering this game. Facing an uphill task, India had a faulty start with their opponent storming out of the gates with an 8-0 start.
India did manage to stem the flow ending the first quarter down 11-22. The second quarter was India's best of the game. Managing to match Chinese Taipei shot-for-shot, the second quarter scoring was almost even between the teams.
Entering the second half with a 12-point lead, Chinese Taipei further extended the gap, outscoring India 29-18 after the third quarter.
Chinese Taipei's Y. Wei led the scoring with 20 points, while S. Peng and Y. Lin contributed with 12 and 11 points respectively. In the fourth quarter, Chinese Taipei continued the scoring spree, thus maintaining their huge lead and cruising to an easy victory.
Poojamol Subhashmon, from Kerala, led India in scoring with 17 points while 17-year-old Bhandavya H.M., India's youngest player, played confidently, although out of position at point guard, to score eight points. Smruthi Radhakrishnan added three assists, while Shireen Limaye led the team in rebounding pulling down seven rebounds.
India's young and largely inexperienced side failed to maintain their composure on the big stage and turned the ball over a massive 33 times. Clearly, the team missed starting point guard, Kavita Akula, who is unavailable due to her studies in the U.S.
India will face Japan on Sunday.
