BASKETBALL
India moves closer to Asia Cup 2025 with romp of Iraq
India put one foot in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 following a 97-77 victory over Iraq as the Qualifying Tournament for Third-Place Teams continued on Friday night at the Khalifa Sports City in Manama, Bahrain.
The team from South Asia took the lead for good in the second quarter after a 30-all tie in the game’s first 10 minutes before pulling away in the third canto toward a rousing start to its campaign.
With the convincing triumph, India needs a win its final game against Bahrain on Saturday night to complete a sweep of Group H and, more importantly, to formally advance to the tournament proper.
The No. 3 team of Group E from the Qualifiers’ First Round is shooting for its 11th consecutive appearance in FIBA’s flagship event in Asia, which is set to hold its 31st edition in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on August 5-17.
“I’m pleased with the outcome, but even more so with how we played. Some strong points: we had 22 assists and only eight turnovers. That was a big goal of ours. We need to rebound the ball a little better but overall, I thought we played a great game. And, we played well in every quarter,” said India Head Coach Scott Flemming.
– Team Sportstar