Basketball
FIBA World Cup Qualifiers: India end campaign winless
India went down 72-98 to Lebanon in the final match of their campaign.
The Indian men's basketball team (Photo credit: BFI)
India ended their FIBA World Cup 2027 Asia Qualifiers campaign winless as they went down to Lebanon 72-98 in their final first round match at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
Having already been knocked out of contention with five losses in as many matches, Pranav Prince and co put up a brave fight after a slow start against the higher ranked Lebanese team.
India trailed 15-28 at the end of the first quarter but managed to bounce back and outshine Lebanon in the second, reducing the deficit to 38-48.
However, as has been the pattern throughout the tournament, the Indians fell apart after the half-time in third quarter.
In a span of two minutes in the third quarter, Lebanon went on a 12-0 run, dashing any little hopes of a India comeback.
The final score line could have been even worse, if not for a late burst from Sahaj Singh Sekhon in the fourth quarter, where he scored five points, including a three pointer and two free throws.
Arvinder Singh also pocketed two points during the phase as India went on a run of eight points.
Arvind Muthu Krishnan was, however, the star of the match for India, scoring 17 points. He also had seven assists and three steals in the 27 minutes and 19 seconds he spent on court.