In the second match of the ongoing FIBA U16 Asian Cup SABA Qualifiers, the Maldives men’s team suffered a heavy defeat against India. In the tournament being held at the indoor court of the Youth Center, India secured a victory over the Maldives with a substantial score difference of 151-20 points. From the start of the match, the Maldivian team struggled against India’s skilled and tall players, while the Indian team continued to launch powerful attacks. In the last two to three minutes of the first quarter, the Maldives scored their first points, while India, who played excellently throughout the match, ended this quarter leading 41-3.
Although there weren’t significant changes in the gameplay during the second quarter, the Maldivian team tried to improve their performance. Taking advantage of the numerous mistakes made by the Maldivian team, India ended this quarter leading 79-12. During this quarter, the Maldivian team made many errors, which visibly displeased the team’s Serbian coach, Vladimir Trich. In the third quarter of the last two quarters, India reached 100 points and finished the quarter leading 122-14.
With a substantial lead in the final quarter, India appeared more relaxed, but they maintained their lead and won the match. In this match, Luke Mohamed Areesh, who scored 3 points, was the best performer for the Maldivian team. For India, Tohid Shaikh, who was named the player of the match, scored the most points, contributing 30 points. In the tournament, the Maldives will face Bangladesh in their final league match tomorrow night.
