India began their promotion bid with a 106-62 beatdown of hosts Thailand for a rousing start to their FIBA U18 Women’s Asia Cup 2026-Division B campaign on Monday at the Nimibutr Stadium.
Eager to return to Division A after being relegated in 2022, the Indian side began to create separation late in the first before exploding for 30 in the ensuing period toward a 56-26 lead at the half to seize control.
A total of five players finished in double figures in the rout, with Viha Jonnalagadda showing the way with her 17 points on top of 5 steals and 1 block as she played a role in setting the tone for the lopsided win.
It was her triple that triggered the crucial 10-0 run, which inflated a narrow 2-point lead to 26-14 just before the opening frame came to a close to put themselves ahead by a dozen heading into the next chapter.
Team India would no longer be denied since, with their lead growing to as big as 56 points, as the host nation could no longer find any sort of solution against their much taller and more agile counterparts.
Nethra Birudavolu fell just short of a double-double with 15 points and 8 assists. Aditi Subramanian supplied 15 points as well, while Vaishnavi Pardeshi and Tarannum Begum chipped in 11 and 10, respectively.
India shot 57.1-percent from the floor thanks to their 29 assists although a big part of their offense also came from defense. They tallied 26 steals and forced their foes to commit 36 turnovers, and scored 29 off those.
Rattika Torajuen led Thailand with 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists in the defeat. Charlotte Henderson made 11 points while Sarah Tuukkanen and Kanokpone Trakulvera added 10 points apiece for the home team.
Meanwhile, Indonesia breezed past Oman, 127-6, in the first game of Group A. Praisey Blessed led the pack with 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists as all 12 players scored at least 4 points in the lopsided victory.
Kazakhstan, Lebanon off to winning starts
Kazakhstan and Lebanon came away with contrasting victories as the FIBA U18 Women’s Asia Cup 2026-Division B festivities finally got underway on Monday at the Nimibutr Stadium.
The CABA champions leaned on a big second half en route to an 88-59 decimation of Samoa, while the team from WABA needed to overcome a gusty Cook Islands side before coming away with the 54-51 decision.
Liana Dymovskikh flirted with a triple-double to lead the Kazakhs with 20 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 8 of the squad’s 32 steals as she helped lead their fourth-quarter breakaway en route to the 29-point W.
She scored 8 points in the payoff period alone, nearly matching the foes’ total output by her lonesome as they put together a 27-9 assault to finish strongly after getting their groove on during the middle quarters.
Yerlan Shakhida supplied 19 points and 6 rebounds. Amina Sharipova chipped in 15 points on top of 4 rebounds and 5 steals, with Milana Krutevich making her presence felt with 5 points and 13 rebounds for Kazakhstan.
Tyra Lee-Hang led Samoa with 20 points, while Tapuitea Matatia added 12 in the loss. The two were responsible for giving themselves the 29-25 lead early in the second but the opposition turned it around, never to let up.
Meanwhile, Lara Al Nakib tallied 22 points alongside 4 rebounds and 5 assists plus 3 steals as she helped the Lebanese steady the ship in the endgame after their Oceania counterparts imposed a serious threat.
Lebanon were already leading by 17 points early in the final period but the Cook Islands rallied back and chopped the gap to just three, 52-49, behind a Dynahia Marsters triple from the top of the key with 2:37 to go.
The debuting squad, though, struggled to find the mark afterward, and Al Nakib would make them pay via free throws to widen the gap to 54-49 with 14 seconds left, which were more than enough to seal the deal.
Gloria Kamar backed her up with 11 points. The troika of Elisa Abou Jaoude, Karin Kamaz, and Nour Hoteit hauled down at least 8 rebounds apiece as they made sure to contribute significantly in the triumph.
Leading the Cook Islands were Bridgette Kata and Latysha Iotua with 11 points each in the fightback that fell just short. Aphrodite Piri came up short of a double-double performance with 9 points and 12 rebounds.
With these results, Kazakhstan and Lebanon are sharing the lead in Group B, and will try to continue their winning ways as they trade opponents in the Group Phase’s second gameday today.
