Indian cagers confirm Continental challenge QF berth

NAGPUR: Point guard Talwinderjit Singh Sahi joined the trio of Amritpal Singh, Amjyot Singh and Vishesh Bhriguvanshi on the front court as the fearless bunch of Indian hoopsters scored a ton to beat Kazakhstan 100-90 and confirm their quarterfinal berth in the Fiba Asia Basketball Challenge at the Azadi Sports Complex in Tehran, Iran, on Wednesday.
With this come-from-behind 10-point triumph India made its presence in Asia's top for the third time in as many years.In the quarterfinals, India will square up against defending champions and hosts Iran who have maintained an unbeaten record by winning all the five league games.
Making most of his nearly perfect shooting display, India's experienced point guard Talwinder - fondly called TJ Sahi - scored a game-high 32 points and made five assists in his 31-minute presence on the floor. With TJ joining the party, India posted their second consecutive win in the competition.
Standing tall at 2.07m, the in-form skipper Amritpal made his presence felt in a big way. He contributed 28 points on 11-of-16 field goal shooting to go along with his seven rebounds, two steals and as many blocks.
Both Talwinder and Amritpal combined well to share 60 points between them. With 13 points and seven assists Vishesh was at his supporting best while Amjyot recorded yet another double double with 12 points and 14 rebounds.
"We just had one thing in mind - we had to win to enter the quarterfinals. We won and all are happy," Vishesh told TOI.
By winning the battle of the boards, 46-30, and scoring more points in the paint, 42-32, Indian cagers utilized their height advantage to perfection.
After losing the initial period 19-21, India dominated the second 32-22 for a handy eight-point lead at the breather. Kazakhstan rallied in the third period, but again India had the proper counterpunch in the final frame, eventually gaining the upper hand.
Kazakhstan did a good job tying the game in the third period. Both teams entered the fourth quarter squared at 71. Things remained close till 77-75, but that's when India rallied. Amritpal, Amjyot and Yadwinder Singh combined for an 8-0 run to give India a 10-point lead that they maintained till the final buzzer.
RESULT: India (Talwinderjit Sahi 32, Amritpal Singh 28, Amjyot Singh 14, Vishesh Bhriguvanshi 13) bt Kazakhstan (M Yevstigneyev 30, P Micheev 22, N Bazhkin 12) 100-90 (19-21, 32-22, 20-28, 29-19).