Eurobasket.com All-Commonwealth Games Awards 2018 - Apr 27, 2018
Eurobasket.com All-Commonwealth Games 1st Team 2018
Tutu
Ili
Abercrombie
Kay
Diogu
Best Player: Nick Kay (206-C/F-92) of Australia Best Guard: Shea Ili (184-G-92) of New Zealand Best Forward: Thomas Abercrombie (198-F-87) of New Zealand Best Center: Ikechukwu Diogu (204-F/C-83) of Nigeria
Tall Blacks take Commonwealth Games bronze with win over Scotland - Apr 15, 2018
The Tall Blacks bounced back from an embarrassing semifinal loss to Canada to salvage basketball bronze at the Commonwealth Games. New Zealand toppled a plucky Scotland 79-69 on Sunday to secure third place on the Gold Coast. It was some consolation for the Tall Blacks, who were lethargic in a 88-86 semifinal loss to Canada on Saturday. New Zealand lost on a buzzer beating three, having fought back from 21 points down late in the third quarter to almost snatch a comeback win. Swingman Thomas Abercrombie (198-F-87, college: Washington St.) carried the scoring load, pouring in a game-high 26 points against Scotland. Abercrombie was lethal from three point range, draining 6/9 from deep. He was a menace on both ends of the floor with his length and athleticism, highlighted by a smart block in the final quarter. A three from Scotland's Fraser Malcolm (198-F-96) with 1.51 remaining trimmed New Zealand's lead to 73-65 to set up a tense finish. New Zealand outscored Scotland 38-34 in the second half, shooting 16/32 (50 per cent) from the field. The Tall Blacks bashed the Scots on the boards, outrebounding them 44-33 with Rob Loe hauling down 10 boards. Mentored by seasoned Australian National Basketball League coach Rob Beveridge , the Scots put up a valiant showing against the heavily favoured Tall Blacks, matching it with them all game. Trailing 21-19 after the first term, the Tall Blacks went on a 17-6 run to begin the second quarter as Scotland went cold on the offensive end. Sparked by 16 first half points from Abercrombie, New Zealand took a 41-35 buffer into the main break. New Zealand landed 17/33 (51 per cent) in the first half, holding Scotland to just 13/36 (36 per cent) from the field. After committing an alarming 26 turnovers in their semifinal loss, the Tall Blacks struggled again protecting the basketball. They turned the ball over 12 times in the second half and 18 for the game. An emphatic dunk by Alex Pledger (215-C-87, college: Belm.Abbey) put the Tall Blacks up by double digits (53-42) late in the third quarter, but Scotland refused to go away. New Zealand outscored Scotland 18-9 in the third to build a handy 59-44 buffer approaching the final term. Scotland, who were thrashed 103-46 by Australia in the semifinal, made a lively start, jumping out to a 10-3 lead on 4/5 shooting. Gareth Murray (201-F-84, college: Kalamazoo Valley CC) and Jonathan Bunyan (182-PG-92) got Scotland off to the perfect opening, draining threes as they raced out to a 6-0 advantage. Led by Mika Vukona (197-F-82) and Abercrombie on the offensive end, New Zealand got into the contest, causing the Scots problems in the paint with their size. The Tall Blacks held a 19-14 advantage late in the first quarter, courtesy of an 8-0 run, but Scotland finished the term powerfully to take a 21-19 lead. Both teams shot the ball well in the opening term with Scotland landing 9/18 of their field goals, 3/5 from deep, and New Zealand 9/16 (56 per cent) from the floor. Courtesy of: stuff.co.nz
Boomers romp to Commonwealth Games gold over Canada - Apr 15, 2018
Lightning failed to strike twice for Canada as Australia cruised to Commonwealth Games gold, the Boomers making good on pre-tournament favouritism with an 87-47 romp in the final. Canada stunned New Zealand with a last-second semi-final win on Saturday, but they were unable to back it up 24 hours later against the Boomers. Australia, who were only really challenged once all tournament - by New Zealand in their pool game - broke open the game with a 14-0 run to start the second quarter. With it they established a 24-point lead, Canada's spirits all but broken as the host nation cruised the rest of the way. "The scoreboard suggested it was easy, but we saw what they did to New Zealand yesterday, they played a great game and won on the buzzer," said Boomers guard Chris Goulding (192-G-88), who top-scored with 11 points. "We wanted to come out and show them the utmost respect and give them our A-game, which pushed the scoreboard out a bit. "There was every danger if we disrespected them, we could have got our arses handed to us." It completes a big few weeks for Goulding, who joined the Boomers camp just days after leading Melbourne to the NBL championship, where he was named finals MVP. Having played with a mantra of unselfishness throughout the competition, the Boomers lacked direction early. Their first possession resulted in a shot clock violation, while assists and turnovers were waging a running battle. A pair of Goulding threes powered the host nation to a 20-10 quarter-time lead. By the time Canada had scored their first points of the second stanza, there were just over four minutes remaining, by which time the game was as good as gone. Courtesy of: smh.com.au
Dominant Australian Boomers crush Scotland to book spot in gold medal game - Apr 14, 2018
N the build-up to today's men's basketball semi-final, Scotland coach Rob Beveridge described the match-up with Australia as a 'David and Goliath' situation. He was right. Except Goliath mercilessly stomped all over David at the Gold Coast Convention Centre. Australia clinically and emphatically stormed their way to a 103-46 thrashing of Scotland to be the first team through to tomorrow's gold medal match at the Commonwealth Games. AC/DC's 'Thunderstruck' was an appropriate song to be played inside the stadium at halftime as the Boomers went bang and crash to end the fairytale run of the basketball Bravehearts. The highly regarded Beveridge - the Boomers assistant coach at the 2006 Commonwealth Games and Illawarra Hawks mentor - had worked wonders to get Scotland into the semi-finals with four wins from three pool games and a quarter-final triumph over Nigeria. Scotland beat England for the first time since 1977 in a pool game in Townsville to become national heroes and their pride and passion produced some wonderful scenes. It was the genuine feel-good story across the men's and women's basketball competitions that have featured one-sided contest after one-sided contest. But the plucky Scots were not feeling too warm and fuzzy in the first quarter when reality bit and bit hard. The astute Beveridge also conceded pre-match that the Boomers were 'light-years' in front of Scotland in terms of talent. He was right again. With Daniel Kickert (208-C/F-83, college: St.Mary's, CA) on fire early with eight of Australia's first 14 points, the Boomers bounded to a 20-4 first-quarter lead with Scotland connecting on just two of 15 field goal attempts. Australia went on an 11-2 tear to start the second term before Scotland settled and started hitting some shots. But it was far too little, far too late as the Boomers quelled the brief Scottish uprising and took a 48-22 buffer into at halftime. The Boomers went on a 30-2 run after the main break as Scotland's defence broke down while their offence also collapsed under the weight of mounting turnovers to trail by 51 points at three-quarter time. Five Boomers finished in double figures with Jesse Wagstaff (203-F-86, college: Metro St.) (17 points), Chris Goulding (192-G-88) (15 points), Jason Cadee (186-G-91) (14 points), Angus Brandt (208-C-89, college: Oregon St.) 14 points) and Kickert (12 points) led the way in the scoring for Australia. Courtesy of: news.com.au
Buzzer beater stuns Tall Blacks in semi-final clash with Canada - Apr 14, 2018
The Tall Blacks have fallen to a disastrous 88-86 loss to Canada in their Commonwealth Games semi-final, relinquishing the chance to take on trans-Tasman rivals Australia for the gold medal. The Kiwis suffered through a poor first half, trailing 45-42 at oranges, before an even worse third quarter in which they gave up 30 points. That defensive display - including 26 turnovers and 12 stolen balls - ultimately condemned them to defeat after a fourth-quarter recovery act fell short. Driven by point guard Shea Ili (184-G-92), who nabbed 23 points, New Zealand dominated in the final period to lead 86-85 with five seconds left. But Canadian ace Mamadou Gueye (198-F-93) nailed a last-gasp three pointer. Having defeated Canada 82-60 in pool play, the Tall Blacks will now have to settle for a bronze-medal match against lowly Scotland on Sunday. Among the New Zealanders, Ili produced the goods, while Mika Vukona (197-F-82) and Thomas Abercrombie (198-F-87, college: Washington St.) managed 13 points apiece. New Zealand had been the only team to test Australia during the pool games, leading the Boomers midway through the final quarter before eventually going down 79-73. So widely assumed was it that they would meet again in the final that Australia's coaches and players spoke about the probable rematch minutes after their 103-46 romp over Scotland. "That's going to be a hell of a game - gold medal on the line, a big event, Australia v New Zealand, it's going to be a fantastic contest, I can't wait," Boomers coach Andrej Lemanis said. "The first time we played New Zealand, we didn't move the ball that well, we were taking contested shots and we managed get over the line in the last quarter." An Australia-New Zealand final would given the basketball competition the contest it had been craving. Instead the Boomers will get a rematch with Canada, a team they crushed by 40 points a week ago. Courtesy of: newshub.co.nz
Canada's basketball teams reach Commonwealth semifinals - Apr 11, 2018
Canada defeated England 97-79 Tuesday to earn a berth in the men's basketball semifinals against New Zealand at the Commonwealth Games in Australia Canada is fielding an all-U Sports men's team at the tournament. UBC's Conor Morgan (203-F-94) led the Canadians with 24 points while Ryerson's Ammanuel Diressa (193-G-93) added 18 and Carleton's Munis Tutu (185-G-96, college: Loyola Mary) scored 16. The Kiwis defeated the Canadians 82-60 when they met in pool play Monday. New Zealand (2-1-0) and Australia (3-0-0) got byes to the semifinals. The Canadian women (2-1-0) have already qualified for the semifinals and will play either England or Jamaica. Canada did not enter a team at the 2006 Games in Melbourne, the only other time basketball has been on the program. Courtesy of: cbc.ca
Scotland close out Nigeria to clinch semi-final spot at Gold Coast - Apr 11, 2018
Undefeated in Group B, Scotland took on Group A bottom placed team Nigeria today in the qualifying round at GoldCoast 2018. Nigeria had shown throughout the tournament that despite their early losses, they were a physically imposing team that crash the boards hard. This had been an issue for Scotland when they played Cameroon and Scotland head coach Rob Rob Beveridge had to game plan effectively. It only took 15 seconds for Gareth Murray (201-F-84, college: Kalamazoo Valley CC) - who came into the game averaging 16.5ppg - to hit a 3 and get the scoring underway. Scotland came out of the gate on fire as Bunyan joined in on the blazing perimeter shooting and Rob Beveridge 's men started 4/4 from behind the arc. The game was a 3-point shootout as Scotland put up five 3's and converted all of them as they led 15-14 halfway through the 1st. Nigeria also went 4/5 from 3-point land as the crowd cheered for the shootout to continue. Scotland Coach Rob Beveridge noticed Nigeria reacting to the outside game and changed things up as he put a big group on the floor to match the height of the Nigerians. Rocks' duo Achara and Murray played excellently off each other, as Murray tricked the Nigerian defence with a backdoor cut off the assist from Kieron, showing Team Scotland' class. As Scotland picked up the defensive intensity forcing turnovers in the final minutes of the first 1st period they were able to take a 23-16 lead by the end of the quarter. Nigeria looked like a totally different team early in the 2nd quarter as they closed the gap to two points from some effective offensive play and suffocating defence. Captain Kieron Achara (208-F/C-83, college: Duquesne, agency: Two Points) showed the watching world why he is so highly regarded as he got his team back on track, putting his body on the line on defence and working down low on offence inspiring the young Scottish team to put a run together. The Captain continued his excellent play, forcing a turnover and going down the court to be sent to the free throw line. This excellent play from Scotland in the first 5 minutes of the second quarter forced Nigerian coach Abdulraham Mohammed into a timeout as he had to muster his men to try and close the 10-point lead, 31-21. Ali Fraser, who had his nose broken against India and came into the game sporting a facemask, played a stint of hero ball as he battled down low and then hit the turnaround fade away for the And-1 finish, pushing the Scotland lead to 13 with just over 3 minutes remaining. Mike Vigour hit a 3 to push the lead back to 14 and Scotland's 3pt % up to 58 through 2 quarters. Abdul Yahaya started to ask questions of Scotland's interior defence as he battled down low and got an And-1 and converted after Nigeria collected the offensive rebound. Scotland held a strong 12-point lead at halftime over Nigeria as they led 40-28. Both teams came up empty in their first 2 possessions to open up the 3rd quarter as things began to slow down. Nigeria's God'Sgift Achiuwa (203-F) came flying over the Scottish defence to throw down the alley-oop that brought the crowd to their feet, as Nigeria began to show off their superior athleticism. Despite this highlight play, both teams were plagued with empty offences as Scotland went 1/7 to open the 3rd and Nigeria didn't fare much better, 3-8. Halfway through the 3rd period, Scotland called timeout as the offences had dried up and their 12-point lead was cut to 42-34 and, in a timeout, Rob Rob Beveridge called for his men to attack the rim more. Things did not go to plan straight out of the timeout as Nigeria cut the deficit to 4. Kyle Jimenez played his coach's plan as he attacked the basket for a score only for Nigeria to hit a 3 in the quick transition as the Scottish lead was now 3 with 2 minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter. The game was tied behind some excellent effort from the Nigerian defence. God'Sgift Achiuwa played his namesake, as he was well and truly God'sGift for his team, grabbing rebounds and assisting Ikechukwu Diogu for 2 consecutive tie baskets. Scotland collapsed in the 3rd quarter as the game was tied going into the final period at 46 a-piece. Calls began going Scotland's way as they benefitted from a goaltend and Kyle Jimenez drew a charge, only for him to go down the other end and link up with fellow youngster, Fraser Malcolm (198-F-96) for an open layup. Nigeria took the lead as no one boxed out and Azouma Dike scored the putback off an air ball. Nigeria called time as Scotland went on a 7-0 run to lead by 6, Mohammed crying for more discipline and effort on defence. Fraser in the facemask was complaining of vision issues but had no problem seeing the basket as he sunk a deep 3 to open up a 10-point lead. Jonny Bunyan went down holding his side as Scotland held their breaths seeing one our home-grown superstars go down. Fellow ex-Falkirk Fury team mate Ali Fraser began to be Scotland's only option on offence as he scored all of the points during this run. Scotland led by 6 as Rob Beveridge called time to discuss the issues with the interior defence, working along with Captain Achara as he inspired his squad to pull out the win in the final 4 minutes. In the final minute Scotland couldn't get a basket and Nigeria took advantage, as Diogu halved the gap with a deep 3, forcing a Scottish timeout. Rob Rob Beveridge gave his men very clear instructions; a gameplan that has been played on the world stage time and time again. Rock's trio Achara, Fraser and Murray played gorgeous intricate basketball that left Gareth Murray an open dunk as Scotland led by 5. Nigeria advanced the ball out of the timeout and attacked the basket. Diogu split his free-throws and Captain Achara battled for the vital rebound. 12.7s left and Murray went to the line and split his freethrows giving Scotland a 5-point lead. Nigeria couldn't make anything of their last possession and Scotland sealed a semi-final game as they defeated Nigeria 66-61. Scotland will now play for a chance of medalling, as they face Australia in the semi-finals this weekend. Courtesy of: basketballscotland.co.uk
Tall Blacks qualify for Commonwealth Games semifinals by overcoming Canada - Apr 10, 2018
The Tall Blacks bounced back from losing to Australia by qualifying for the Commonwealth Games semifinals after beating Canada 82-60 in their decisive Pool A encounter on Monday. New Zealand needed victory against the Canadians to automatically book their place in the last four of the men's basketball tournament and did so with diligence despite a scratchy start and finish to their final pool game in Cairns. After a tight opening quarter when the Kiwis led by just six, a nine-point streak rattled Canada's defence as the likes of Robert Loe (211-F-91, college: St.Louis) and Thomas Abercrombie (198-F-87, college: Washington St.) found scoring form while Tall Blacks coach Paul Henare demanded more aggression from his players. But a lack of accuracy was letting New Zealand down against a side that gold medal favourites Australia pummelled 95-55 on Friday. The Tall Blacks, who led Australia after three quarters before losing 79-73 on Saturday, looked in control in the second quarter - then doubling Canada's rebounds - but conceded four straight points to the Canadians to rub out their lead of double figures by halftime. Then Abercrombie, who top scored with 17 points, and Shea Ili inspired a run of 10 points that suddenly blew New Zealand's advantage to 48-31 early in the third quarter. A dominant display was lacking in the first half but the Tall Blacks gained an assured ascendancy after the break as Canada's resistance wilted. The lead was 63-43 going into the final quarter, in which Canada then showed they still had plenty of fight, and it was a frustrating finish for Henare's side. New Zealand had the game in the bag but Canada were leading the scoring for most of the final quarter until a late flurry of points secured the Tall Blacks an 82-60 victory which assured second place in Pool A. Australia and New Zealand will face the winners of either of the two qualifying finals - involving Scotland, Nigeria, Canada and England - in Saturday's semifinals before a likely Trans-Tasman clash in Sunday's gold medal game. "In the lead up to this campaign I have been super excited at the opportunity in front of these guys, the Tall Blacks at the Commonwealth Games rarely happens. I am just so happy that this group has the chance to play for a medal at the semifinal stage and we have got there playing a really good mix," Henare said. "I thought we had two really good games against Nigeria and Australia and while we dropped off a little tonight, that is tournament play, you sometimes have to find a way to win and battle away. We will take the result and find ways to improve, the great thing for us is we now have four days to prepare for a semifinal and we are looking ahead." Courtesy of: stuff.co.nz
Nigeria lose 97-55 to Australia at 2018 Commonwealth Games - Apr 10, 2018
Nigeria's men basketball team D'tigers lost their final group game 97-55 to Australia at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast. The Nigeria team are grouped alongside, Australia, Canada and New Zealand and have now failed to beat all their group opponents. D'tigers who rank significantly lower than their Australian counterparts struggled to cope as they were already down 23-17 after the first quarter. Nigeria went a further 29 points behind as the second quarter ended 62-33 in favour of the Australians. A 29 point lead was extended to 35 after the break as, Australia closed in on another win as the scores were 76-41 at the end of third quarter. At the end of the group stage Nigeria won none of their three matches first a 110-65 loss to New Zealand in the opener then a 82-67 defeat to Canada in their second group game. Courtesy of: pulse.ng
Vigor's Scotland remain unbeaten at Commonwealth Games - Apr 9, 2018
Michael Vigor (206-F/C-90) had 13 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists to help Scotland to a 96-81 victory over India at the Commonwealth Games. Scotland join Coach Kapoulas' England side in the qualifying finals with a perfect 3-0 record. Michael Vigor was subbed into the game just four minutes into the opening period and made an instant impact, scoring a mid-range two, before sinking the three to level the game at 15 points apiece midway through the first. Jonathan Bunyan (182-PG-92) and Sean Nealon-Lino (193-G-99) combined for 16 points the opening quarter, Scotland had opened up a seven point lead heading into the second, 33-26. India were able to narrow the gap to just four points to force Rob Beveridge to call for time, his team leading 37-33. Michael Vigor found Ali Fraser for the baseline jump shot before crashing the offensive glass to extend Scotland's lead to eight, 35-43. Fraser flushed it home on the fast break to give Scotland a 49-41 lead heading into the locker room at the break. Having used the bench for the majority of the first half, Rob Beveridge reverted back to his starting line-up to open the second half. Kieran Achara opened the scoring in the with a nice pump fake and finish to restore Scotland's ten point lead, before a pair of threes from Achara and Murray pushed the lead out to 16 points. 57-41 Fraser received treatment following an elbow to the face, but the delay in play didn't halt Scotland's momentum. Achara stretched the lead to 20 points with four minutes to play in the third 65-45. Scotland outscored India 29 points to 11 in the third period before 17-year-old Callan Low (185-G-00) made the baseline three to extend the lead, 78-52 heading into the fourth. Michael Vigor was re-introduced to the game midway through the fourth and made a tough fadeaway jump shot at the shot clock expired to put Scotland ahead 91-75. The Flyers captain completed his double-double in the final minute of the game as Scotland cruised to victory. Courtesy of: bristolflyers.co.uk
England Overcome Cameroon to Advance at 2018 Commonwealth Games - Apr 9, 2018
England kept their medal hopes alive at the 2018 Commonwealth Games with a crucial 81-54 victory over Cameroon, in Townsville, on Sunday morning. Andreas Kapoulas ' side prevailed in the must-win clash to secure a top-two spot in Pool B as they now advance to the Qualifying Finals alongside Scotland - who secured their spot on Saturday. Kofi Josephs (198-G-91, college: Fort Lewis) fired in 26 points on 7 of 11 shooting from 3-point range, while Adam Thoseby (198-G/F-91, college: Georgia SW) added 15 points - all in the second half to lead the way for England. England were behind early on before putting together an 11-0 run to take control before conceding the final five points as their lead was cut to five at 20-15. Josephs hit a couple of threes in the second, but Cameroon kept England from breaking clear with the gap only narrowly increased to six points heading into half-time at 37-31. Thoseby scored England's first nine points of the second half as part of a 17-4 start to push the lead out to 20 points. They outscored Cameroon 29-14 in the third period to take a commanding 66-45 lead into the final quarter with Josephs and Thoseby combining for 32 points at this stage. Just five points were scored in the opening seven minutes of the fourth before Josephs landed his sixth and seventh triples with England closing out their second win in as many days in style. Courtesy of: hoopsfix.com
Australia's Boomers score narrow win over New Zealand's Tall Blacks - Apr 8, 2018
THE Nick Kay (206-C/F-92, college: Metro St.)-inspired Boomers busted themselves out of jail in the fourth quarter to snatch a nailbiting 79-73 victory over New Zealand in Cairns on Saturday night. But regardless of the result in the tense trans-Tasman tussle, the race for the men's basketball gold medal is wide open as the Tall Blacks gave the home nation a mighty fright in the full dress rehearsal for Sunday's (April 15) final. Australia had led for just 15 seconds in the second term before power forward Kay hit a three-pointer to put the Boomers in front again midway through the final quarter. Two buckets to guard Chris Goulding (192-G-88) helped Australia's cause in the dying stages while a steal from the recently crowned Larry Sengstock Medallist also set-up a thundering Kay dunk. Kay - who topscored with 21 points - then stepped up and hit another triple to get the Boomers home. With no Mitch Creek (195-F/G-92) and no Mitchell McCarron (191-G-92, college: Metro St.) - who were integral parts of the domestic Boomers squad before taking up European deals - Australia struggled to get any sort of control against a determined New Zealand side. Boomers legend Andrew Gaze was certainly on the money earlier in the week when he said New Zealand presented a very serious threat to Australia's hope of saluting on home soil. The gold medal is now an even money bet. It was a tight and physical affair befitting of a battle for a medal. It also showed how the Boomers and Tall Blacks are light years ahead of the rest of the Commonwealth Games competition. The intent from the Tall Blacks flowed on from the pre-match haka with New Zealand scoring the first five points of the match. They controlled proceedings for most of the opening term until two late three-pointers from the Boomers closed the margin with New Zealand up 21-19 at the first break. Daniel Kickert (208-C/F-83, college: St.Mary's, CA) added 12 points for the Boomers while Goulding finished with 10 points. Shea Ili (184-G-92) led the Tall Blacks with 22 points. Australia play their final pool match against Nigeria on Monday when New Zealand will also take on Canada. In other results on Saturday, Canada scored a 82-67 win over Nigeria in Cairns while England cruised to a 100-54 victory over India with Scotland edging to a 62-52 win over Cameroon in Townsville. Meanwhile, the Opals will play Canada in Townsville on Sunday night. Courtesy of: news.com.au
Scotland beat England in shock opening win - Apr 6, 2018
Scotland's men produced an impressive final quarter to claim a shock 78-65 victory over England in the Commonwealth Games basketball group stage. Rob Beveridge's side went into the final 10 minutes of the match with a one point lead, but stepped up the pace to win their opening Pool B fixture. Gareth Murray (201-F-84, college: Kalamazoo Valley CC) and Kieron Achara (208-F/C-83, college: Duquesne, agency: Two Points) top scored for Scotland with 18 and 15 points respectively. Scotland face Cameroon next on Saturday, while England face India. Courtesy of: bbc.com
CWG 2018: India lose to Cameroon on opening day - Apr 6, 2018
Cameroon made an astonishing comeback to outplay India 96-87 in men's preliminary round Pool B basketball match while Indian eves also suffered a loss 57-66 to Jamaica in the opening day of the Commonwealth Games here on Thursday. After scoring 27 points in the first quarter and then 36 in the second quarter, India only accumulated 24 in the entire second half against Cameroon. At one point India were leading by 24 points but an impressive game from Arnold Akola (21 points) and Robert Songolo (190-G-94, college: MSU Moorhead) (17 points) saw a comeback from Cameroon. For India, Amjyot Singh (203-F-92) scored 23 points while Justin Selvaraj and Joginder Singh (175-G-88) scored 14 points. Aravind Annadurai (200-PF-93) scored 15. Coming into the match, India started off perfectly, pressing the defence. Starting with star players Amjyot and Satnam Singh (218-C-95) in the playing five, India took full advantage for it. Soon they managed to take the healthy lead of 12 points and maintained it through the quarter. The second quarter saw some brilliant attacking from forwards Gill and Annadurai. Apart from them, guards Justin Joseph and Joginder Singh also combined for 25 points. At the halftime India carried a 24 point lead (63-39) with the 26-year-old Gill scoring 14 points to lead the chart. Till that time centre player Satnam Singh was not at his scoring best as he only managed to score five points. India begin the second half in a more attacking way, by netting a three-pointer within few seconds. But soon after that, Cameroon went on a 10-2 run as they managed to cut the lead of 16 points making it 54-70. At the end of the third quarter, Cameroon outscored India completely by some attacking game-led by Akola. India, on the other hand felt the pressure but somehow kept the opponents at bay, keeping 14 points lead. Cameroon kept the momentum in the fourth quarter by bringing the gap down to just seven points (76-83). And towards the middle they made a supereb comeback and took one point lead (84-83) and then made 91-85 thanks to Kome and Songolo. After that Cameroon never looked back and swelled their overall lead with each minute passing to clinch the game. India now have to win their both remaining matches if they want to advance to the next round. Courtesy of: indiatimes.com
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