FIBA Women’s Basketball League Asia: KB Stars’ thumping win dashes Railways’ hopes

Reigning National champion Indian Railways endured another bruising outing, slumping to its second successive heavy defeat, this time at the hands of South Korea’s KB Stars (81-42) in a Group-B match of the FIBA Women’s Basketball League Asia at the Sree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium on Wednesday. The defeat ended Railways’ hopes of reaching the semifinals.

While Railways looked better organised and had a clearer game plan than in its previous outing, poor shooting once again proved to be its Achilles’ heel, with the team failing to translate its improved approach into points.

Though its shooting improved marginally, Railways’ struggles from the perimeter remained a major concern. It failed to convert any of its 19 attempts from beyond the arc, in stark contrast to KB Stars, which sank 16 three-pointers from 55 attempts.

Railways was found wanting on the defensive end as well, surrendering possession too easily and allowing KB Stars to capitalise on turnovers. The statistics told the story: Railways managed just two points off turnovers, while Stars scored 25. On the positive side, Railways outscored its opponent 34-22 in points in the paint.

For Stars, captain and forward Yunjeong Na led from the front with 18 points, while Manmeet Kaur was Railways’ top-scorer with 17.

The results: Group-A: Cathay Life Tigers 85 (Penina Davidson 22, Chu Chu 14, Hui-Ju Liu 13, Yu-Lien Hsu 12, Yu Wen Hsiao 10) bt Akari Sparks 75 (Saicha Patricia Grant-Allen 21, Bre’Amber Shakira Scott 17, Kent Jane Pastrana 13, Stefanie Berberabe 11).

Group-B: KB Stars 81 (Yunjeong Na 18, Yunha Song 12, Yebin Hoon 10) bt Indian Railways 42 (Manmeet Kaur 17).