BANGKOK, Thailand (FIBA Asia U18 Championship for Women 2016) – Japan wasted no time in dealing India a crushing defeat, 93-26, at FIBA Asia U18 Championship for Women 2016 on Thursday.

It was a good response from Japan following to straight defeats. They will now face Korea in the Semi-Finals on Saturday.

Turning point: India were never really in this game. They never led as Japan dominated on both ends. The East Asians held a 28-point cushion at the end of the 1^st half, and they never looked back.

Stats don’t lie: It should not come as a surprise, but the difference in rebounding is staggering. The Akatsuki Five flexed their muscles in the paint, outrebounding India, 55-27. Miwa Kuribayashi set the tone for the Japanese with 14 boards.

Game hero: Miayshita Kiho finished off with game high 25 points. She also had 10 rebounds and 5 steals in 30 minutes of action.

The bottom line:  It was good morale boosting win for Japan after those two defeats against Korea and China. Now they’ll fully concentrate on the semi-final clash with Korea. For India, they will face in-form and Level II winners Indonesia but have to improve to preserve their Level I status for the next edition.

FIBA