India make winning start in FIBA Asia qualifying, beat Nepal

Bangalore: Amjyoth Singh led the charge as India started their campaign in Middle Asia Zone qualifying event for the FIBA Asia Under-18 Basketball Championship on a positive note, beating Nepal 80-50 at the Sri Kantaveera Stadium.

Indian cagers put up an all-round performance against their neighbours as Amjyoth, who scored 18 points, got fine supports from Shadab Kahan (14) and Dishant Shah (13) during the encounter yesterday. For Nepal, the leading scorers were Sushil Gurung (13) and Sujan Dun (13).During the halftime, India led 48-26. India now play Bangladesh in their second match of the event, the winner of which would represent the group in the 21st FIBA Asia Under 18 Championship for Men to be held in Sana`a, Yemen from September 22-October 1. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh 80-51 in another match, a Basketball Federation of India (BFI) release said.For the islanders, Clinton Stallone (21) and Kanshika Perera (16) played well, while Md Shamasuzzam Khan (11) and Md Mamahadul Hussain (10) were the top scorers for Bangladesh. PTI