FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament | Dominant India beat Indonesia 90-74
With a victory against Indonesia on Sunday by a score of 90-74, the Indian men's basketball team extended its unbeaten streak at the current FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament Asia 2023. With this victory, India has joined Bahrain atop the standings, according to Olympics.com, with four points.
Terrell Bolden (23 points) and Yudha Saputera (17 points) were Indonesia's highest scorers. The rest of their players, though, were all unable to score more than seven points. However, with strong performances from Muin Bek Hafeez (15 points), Sahaij Sekhon (14 points), Arvind Kumar Muthu Krishnan (13 points), and Pranav Prince (12 points), the Indian team appeared much more balanced and complete.Â
Indonesia, who had defeated Kazakhstan 91-82 in their opening game, jumped off to a 4-0 lead right away. However, Muin Bek, an Indian forward, promptly led India to a 10 point run after that. After then, India, who is now ranked 82 in the FIBA World Rankings, did not look back. Arvind and Pranav intensified their onslaught, and India led by nine points going into the second quarter.Â
Indonesia reduced the deficit to six points with five minutes left before halftime. Indonesia was kept at bay, though, by three-pointers from Arvind and Indian captain Vishesh Bhriguvanshi. India led 50-35 at the break, a 15-point advantage.Â
Although it was a close game in the third quarter, the Indian basketball team was able to maintain their advantage. After giving up a few fast baskets in the fourth quarter, India's advantage was just 10 points. However, Vishesh's assists and rebounds helped India mount a spectacular comeback to win the game 90-74.Â
India, Bahrain, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and Syria are six basketball teams competing in the Asian leg of the pre-qualifying round for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.Â