Omura-Nagasaki, Japan: Prashanti Singh came up with two crucial drives in the lane and calmed the team’s nerves as India held by the skin of their teeth to beat Malaysia 66-60 at the 24th FIBA Asia Basketball Championship for Women and retain their position in Level I.

India’s win was their third successive success against the same opponent at the same stage

Things – as always has been between these two teams in this competition – were equal for the better part of the first half with neither able to take any decisive advantage.

With the position in the game precarious, Prashanti Singh, the senior most member of the team decided to take things on her own and produced 8 of her game’s 14 points in the fourth quarter.

Anitha Pauldurai and Geethu Anna Jose – who have played their entire basketball together – combined to score 41 of the team’s points.

Anitha had a game-high 23 points, but only four of those came in the decisive fourth quarter.

Geethu had 18 points, but none in the final ten minutes.

“I thought we got into a rut at one point,” Geethu said, who also pulled down 10 rebounds.

“It has been a problem for us right through the competition. There are times when we can’t just shrug it off, which is why I am not at all satisfied with this finish,” the 26-year-old added.

“They weren’t a bad team after all,” India coach Pete Gaudet said.

“They kept coming us very hard, although I thought were a little taller,” the American said.

Teo Woon Yuen scored 10 of her team-high 13 points in the final quarter to lead Malaysia’s fight.

Kalaimathi Rajinthiran had a dozen points.

Final Score

India (Anitha Paudurai 23 pts 5 asts, Geethu Anna Jose 18 pts 10 rebs, Prashanti Singh 14 pts, Akanksha Singh 5 asts) bt. Malaysia (Woon Yuen Tao 13 pts, Kalaimathi Rajintiran 12 pts, Hui Pin Pang 11 pts) 66-60 (17-19, 14-10, 21-12, 14-19)

Omura-Nagasaki, Japan: Lebanon reeled in 14 unanswered points in the early part of the game and held fort thereafter to win 71-52 against India for their first ever win in Elite Level I of the 24th FIBA Asia Basketball Championship for Women on Thursday

India who are now winless in Level I – including a 0-5 losing streak in the 23rd FIBA Asia Championship for Women at Chennai (India) in 2009 – play Malaysia in the Level I play-off for the third FIBA Asia Championship for Women in a row.

Lebanon take on Kazakhstan.

Both the games are scheduled for Saturday after Friday’s rest day.

Chada Nasr, arguably the craftiest player in WABA women’s basketball, scored 8 of her game’s 16 points, and more importantly played the first line of defense in cutting off India’s rhythm, to lead Lebanon’s charge.

Chada went on to collect a game-high 10 rebounds and dished out 4 assists.

“Well, you can say we prepared hard for this game playing in the earlier four,” the Antranik player joked after the game.

On a serious note, Nasr said: “I think the girls were charged up to prove a point after four successive defeats. Sometimes passionate play helps overcome certain difficulties.”

India, on other hand found the goal all of twice – Geethu Anna Jose had a poor 1/7 in field shooting – and continued to struggle till a minor, and momentary, return to form in the fourth quarter when she scored 15 of her game-high 21 points.

Lebanon’s naturalized center Brittany Denson stood like a rock in the center – literally – of the Lebanese defense mechanism with 4 blocks and 7 rebounds apart from scoring 16 points.

There was a minor flutter when India raised a 15-5 advantage in the early part of the fourth quarter but coming as it did after Lebanon taken a vice-like grip on the game the run was a case of too little coming too late.

Final Score

Lebanon (Chada Nasr 16 pts 10 rebs, Brittany Janelle Denson 16 pts 7 rebs, Nayla Alameddine 14 pts 8 rebs) bt. India (Geethu Anna Jose 21 pts 9 rebs) 71-52 (20-4, 12-13, 23-9, 16-26)

Omura-Nagasaki, Japan: Hosts Japan personified their novel nickname – Hayabusaa (peregrine falcon, very dear to the Japanese) – in overwhelming India 79-51 to pick their third win in four games on Wednesday at the 24th FIBA Asia Basketball Championship for Women.

The defeat – fourth in as many games for – India left the Middle Asian nation playing in the Level I Qualifying play-offs for the third FIBA Asia Championship for Women in a row. A win against Level I debutants on Thursday will pit India against the No 2 team from Level II, else they will go up against the No 1 team from Level I.

Moeko Nagaoka made her maiden first-five appearance for Japan, and utilized it well with a 22-point game-high, and 14 rebounds.

“I am happy the coach gave me the chance and I could use it,” Nagaoka said.

Japan raced ahead 14-5 in the first quarter and were never really bothered.

Yuko Oga, Asami Yoshida, Ai Mitani and Ramu Tokashiki enjoyed a holiday on the bench as the others proved sufficient.

Geethu Anna Jose led India’s scoring with 16 points.

“Our tournament starts tomorrow,” said India coach Pete Gaudet.

“If we can tomorrow and win the play-off game, it means we have climbed the rankings,” the American said.

“That’s an improvement for us pitted against teams which are aiming to qualify for the Olympics,” added Gaudet.

Final Score

Japan (Moeka Nagaoka 22 pts 14 rbs, Yoko Nagi 15 pts, Yuka Mamiya 11 pts, Eriko Kimura 10 pts, Kumiko Oba 10 pts) bt. India (Geethu Anna Jose 16 pts) 79-51 (14-5, 20-16, 25-20, 20-10)

Omura-Nagasaki, Japan Defending champions China took control of the proceedings in Tuesday’s Level I game against India in the second quarter and brooked no further challenge to post a 87-38 win at the 24th FIBA Asia Basketball Championship for Women.

Whether unfancied India raised their game or China struggled to get into their groove, the scoreboard at the end of the first quarter was on par with each having scored a dozen points.

China coach Sun Fengwu inducted Wei Wei – at 207-cms the tallest player in the competition here – and there was a more purposeful approach in China’s offense.

The Guangdong Dolphins center, playing her maiden FIBA Asia Championship for Women, immediately set things straight scoring 6 of her team-high 15 points to put China ahead.

China closed the second quarter with a 8-0 run – in an overall 26-6 scoring advantage – and opened the scoring for the second half. There was nothing that could stop Fengwu’s team thereafter.

“There was a point at which we realized we couldn’t continue fighting hard and last the competition. I am glad we fought very hard in the early part,” said the American, who was once an assistant to the legendary Mike Krzyzewski at Duke College.

“We are trying out different combinations. Therefore it takes for each of these youngsters to settle into the variations,” said Sun Fengwu.

Final Score

China (Wei Wei 15 pts 12 rebs, Xin Guan 14 pts 7 rebs, Nan Chen 12 pts, Lijie Miao 10 pts, Nuo Xu 7 pts) bt. India (Geethu Anna Jose 12 pts) 87-38 (12-12, 16-6, 32-8, 27-12)

Omura-Nagasaki, Japan Having beaten defending champions China on the opening night, Korea carried forward that confidence and defeated India 83-47 for their second consecutive win in Level I on Monday at the 24th FIBA Asia Championship for Woman in Omura, Japan.

For India, it was their second defeat in succession, having lost to Chinese Taipei on the opening day.

Geethu Anna Jose led the scoring for India, and the game, with 27 points but that she was the only player to score in the double digits spoke for the lonely furrow she ploughed.

Korea, on the other hand, took control early strengthened their lead with a 19-2 run to close the first half and used all their players – Choi Youn Ah’s who led Korea’s win against China being the one to play the least at 10 minutes.

Most importantly, all Korean players scored – four of them in double digits.

Kim Danbi led the Korean charge in the second quarter reeling in 6 points out of a 13 for the game. Kang Ajeong had five points in that Korean rampage led their scoring with 17 points.

Final Score

Korea (Ajeong Kang 17 pts, Danbi Kim 13 pts, Youn Joo Kim 12 pts, Jung Eun Kim 10 pts, Kwe Ryong Kim 9 rebs, Young Suk Kang 8 rebs, Ji Yoon Kim 6 asts) bt. India (Geethu Anna Jose 27 pts 10 rebs) 83-47 (17-12, 24-10, 22-17, 20-8)

Omura-Nagasaki, Japan East Asian powerhouse Chinese Taipei took almost the entire first quarter to settle into their groove in their Level I opening game at the 24th FIBA Asia Championship for Women against India on Sunday. But once they did, there was no stopping the Taipei women as they rolled on to what finally looked a facile 81-53 win.

“We had played this time very recently, and we were well prepared,” said Taipei coach Hui-Yin Chang recalling the game between the two in the William Jones Cup, earlier this month, which Taipei had won 94-49.

“We were a little hustled early on. But once we settled down especially in defense, we got it going,” she added.

“They (India) were not as easy as it finally looked,” said Liu Chun-yi, who topped the scoring for the game with 19 points.

All the Taipei players took to the court and 11 of them scored, Huang Shu-chen the one to play the least the lone player to miss out.

India too used all their players, but the scoring was heavily loaded on only three.

Geethu Anna Jose, the leading scorer of the last two FIBA Asia Championships for Women, was as expected the leader of the Indian scoring with 18 points.

Prashanti Singh and Anitha Pauldurai, Jose’s only two remaining colleagues from the team that earned the Level I promotion at 22nd FIBA Asia Championship for Women at Incheon in 2007 each scored 10 points.

“Don’t judge us by this game,” Jose said.

“Our team is a work in progress.”

“I thought we had a good game,” said India coach Pete Gaudet.

“But then we don’t have the same kind of players nor did we have the same balance,” the American said.

Final Score

Chinese Taipei (Liu Chun-Yi 19 pts, Ma Yi-Hung 11 pts, Lan Hao-Yu 11 pts, Lin Chi-Wen 9 rebs, Chiang Feng-Chun 7 rebs) bt. India (Geethu Anna Jose 18 pts 8 rebs, Anitha Pauldurai 10, Prashanti Singh 10) 81-53 (20-15, 21-11, 25-12, 15-15)