This will be a tough loss to bounce back from for India. Throwing away a huge 24-point lead will be difficult to bounce back from, given that there are two more matches to go. The remaining games are extremely critical now, with India needing to win both if they want to advance to the next round.
Amjyot Singh, in his first game back for the team, played well with 23 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists but he couldn't do it alone. India just couldn't get any offense going in the second half and while you could still live with that, they allowed Cameroon to score at will as well.
After scoring 27 in the first quarter and then 36 in the second quarter, India only accumulated 24 in the ENTIRE second half. Yes, you read that right. Not only did they struggle to score, their defense slid as well, giving up 57 points.
Looks like India has lost the plot. After scoring 27 in the first quarter alone, they have failed to score that many in the entire second half! Cameroon extend their lead to 3 (86-83)
Cameroon is carrying their third-quarter momentum to the fourth quarter. In a short time, they have already outscored the Indians 14-7, bringing the gap down to just 7 points (76-83).
And that's the end of the third quarter. India have taken a beating but still, hold a 14-point lead. Will they hold fort to win the game or is this game a tale of two halves and will Team India collapse under pressure?
So far, Cameroon has outscored India 23-13 in the third quarter. They still have 14 points they have to makeup but they've certainly made things interesting with their run.
Aravind Annadurai joins Amjyot, Joginder, and Joseph in double-figure points. He now has 11 for the game. India still holds a huge 68-42 lead midway through the third quarter.
It's HALFTIME and India's carrying a comfortable 24-point lead to the locker room. The biggest difference maker has been Amjyot Singh, who's recorded 14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and a team-high +24 in his 20 minutes of play. He's had a good supporting cast, led by guards Justin Joseph and Joginder Singh who have combined for 25 points.
The Indian Men's Basketball Team begin their 2018 Commonwealth Games campaign with a fixture against their Pool B opponents Cameroon. The other two teams in the Group are England and Scotland, who India will play on April 7th and April 8th respectively. The format of the tournament is such that the top two teams from Pool B qualify for the Quarter Finals to face the bottom two teams from Pool A.
The Indian team (FIBA Rank 62) has a very realistic chance to get to the next round. If they handle their business, they should be able to register wins against Cameroon (FIBA Rank 65) and Scotland while things might get tougher against Great Britain (FIBA Rank 40). These are overall FIBA Ranking, whereas, in actuality, the gap between these teams could be lesser on their best days.
It should come as no surprise if the Indian Team is quietly optimistic about their chances, especially with the inclusion of arguably their two best players in Amjyot Singh and Amritpal Singh for the 2018 CWG squad. The duo adds a lot of depth and talent to an already stacked frontcourt. The issues in the backcourt still persist, however, in the absence of veteran point guard Vishesh Bhriguvanshi.
Here's the squad for the tournament: Yadwinder Singh (Captain), Ravi Bhardwaj, Arvind Arumugam, Satnam Singh, Arshpreet Singh Bhullar, Aravind Annadurai, Akilan Pari, J Justin, P Jeevanantham, Joginder Singh, Amritpal Singh and Amjyot Singh. The roster is headed by coach Rajinder Singh.
The 2018 Commonwealth Games is only the second time that the tournament has hosted basketball.
