2013 FIBA Asia Championship: Korea closes second round with hammering of India

Though the last game of the second round of the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship had no bearing on the teams or seedings of the quarterfinals, Korea still managed to throttle India, 95-54, Wednesday at the MOA Arena.

Even prior to tip-off, Korea was locked in as the third seed from Group F, while India was dead last. Win or lose, Korea was set to face Qatar in the knockout stage, come Friday.

Still, that didn't stop them from showing off their many offensive weapons. All five starters for Korea scored barely three minutes into the match. Kim Joo Sung, in particular, imposed his will early inside, chipping in five as they led, 14-5.

India went on to connect on just three field goals in the last seven minutes of the frame. Meanwhile, Cho Sun Ming dropped 12 markers in the first period to lead Korea, 28-11.

Three minutes into the second quarter, Vishesh Bhriguvanshi and Satnam Bharama conspired for a 7-0 run, whittling the Korea lead to 10 points, 28-18. But another basket by Cho put an end to that, as Korea resumed playing their lockdown defense. After allowing just two more baskets in the frame, Korea tossed in three triples in a 19-4 blast, to lead 47-22 at halftime.

The third period was a shootout, though India was unable to make the defensive stand it needed to get back in the game. Korea on the other hand pushed their lead to 29 points, 62-33, after Kim Tae-Sool split from the line, fouled after forcing a steal against Joginder Singh with two and a half minutes to play. A triple though by Pratham Singh moments later chipped slightly at the deficit, 63-40, one quarter left to play.

The two sides then played out the string in the fourth quarter, with the game essentially over, bar the final score. Korea however seemed to have saved their best for last, unleashing a game-high 32 markers in the period, prior to the buzzer sounding for the last time.

Cho Sung Min and Kim Mingoo top-scored for Korea with 14 points each, while the latter secured seven rebounds and seven assists. Choi Junyung added 13 points, while Lee Seung Jun and Yang Donggeun notched 10 points each, and the latter also had eight assists.

Pratham Singh led all scorers with 18 points. Rithin Shantilal Pethani and Joginder Singh added 11 and 10 points, respectively. - AMD, GMA News


The scores:

Korea - Cho 14, M. Kim 14, Choi 13, S. Lee 10, Yang 10, Joo-Sung Kim 8, J. Lee 8, Jongkyu Kim 7, S. Kim 6, H. Yoon 3, T. Kim 1, S. Moon 1

India - Pratham Singh 18, Pethani 11, Joginder Singh 10, Bhriguvanshi 6, Amjyot Singh 4, Bharama 3, Amritpal Singh 2, Grewal 0, Yadwinder Singh 0

Quarter scoring: 28-11, 47-22, 63-40, 95-54