Basketball: Dominant Denso Iris hurtles past Indian Railways

Indian Railways promised a fight but delivered a no-show, crumbling like a sapling would before a tornado, against Denso Iris (Japan) 119-35 in a woefully one-sided Group-B clash in the FIBA Women’s Basketball League Asia (WBLA) at the Sree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium here on Tuesday.

Inside the arc, from beyond it or from the free-throw line, Railways, the 41-time National champion, was no match for the Japanese side.

By half-time, Iris had piled up a 58-18 lead, leaving Railways staring at an improbable comeback. Nearly every turnover compounded Railways’ misery, as Iris ruthlessly converted it into fast-break points.

The gulf was particularly glaring from beyond the arc. Iris converted five three-pointers in the first quarter and 10 in the second, exposing Railways’ inability to contain its perimeter attack. Railways struggled with wayward passes, erratic shooting and a defence that offered little resistance. The Indian champion was outplayed in virtually every department, with the contest threatening to become a rout well before the break.

Earlier, title contender Sichuan Yuanda Meile (China) made a strong start to its campaign, beating Cathay Life Tigers (Tapiei) 92-70 in a Group-A match. The Chinese side’s foreign recruits, Australian power forward Sara Blicavs (27 points) and American guard Chennedy Carter (22), led the scoring, combining for 49 points — more than half of Sichuan’s total.

The results: Group-A: Sichuan Yuanda Meile 92 (Sara Blicavs 27, Chennedy Carter 22, Song Gao 110 bt Cathay Life Tigers 70 (Chu Chu 16, Hui-Ju Liu 14). B: Denso Iris (Jpn) 119 (Haruna Kasagi 23, Mnami Yabu 16, Mo Shiraishi 16, Sokhna Sylla 12, Hanami Shinohara 11, Mai Kawal 10) bt Indian Railways 35.