SHENZHEN (China) – The FIBA Women’s Asia Cup 2025 Division B tipped off its final phase action with an intense knockout battle between Thailand and India on Friday at the Shenzhen Sports Centre.
Thailand fly past India into Semi-Finals
The day’s curtain-raiser saw sweet-shooting Thailand thwart India's Semi-Finals hopes, 93-76. The contest saw coach Krit Issariyachiwin’s squad sink 18 three-pointers, which helped them build a lead as big as 18 points in the second half. The Thais also displayed crisp ball movement with a total of 25 assists. Meanwhile, India struggled protecting the ball as they registered 15 turnovers. This win strengthens Thailand's bid for promotion, while India fall to the Classification Round.
Rattiyakorn Udomsuk led Thailand with 6 three-pointers en route to 25 points. Warinthon Summat also stepped up with 14 points, while India relied heavily on Sreekala Rani and Pushpa Senthil Kumar, who finished with 23 points apiece.
Mongolia survive Kazakhstan to advance
In the second Qualification to the Semi-Finals game of the day, Mongolia had to scramble to survive against Kazakhstan, 78-70, and assure themselves of at least a top four finish in Division B. The Mongolians leveraged their tight defense and impressive perimeter shooting to take a 20-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, but Kazakhstan were not going down without one final stand. The Kazakhs cut the lead to single-digits at several points, but their efforts proved to be too little, too late against coach Francisco Garcia Alvarez's wards. This result securesd Mongolia’s place in the Semi-Finals for the first time ever, where they will face unbeaten Chinese Taipei.
The trio of Ariuntsetseg Bat-Erdene, Nyamjav Nandinkhusel and Khulan Onolbaatar combined to score 51 points for Mongolia even as Anastassiya Alishauskaite had 21 points to pace Kazakhstan
Cook Islands overwhelm Tahiti for seventh place win
Rounding out the day, Cook Islands rebounded from earlier setbacks with an emphatic 75-50 win over Tahiti in the 7th-8th place classification game. Motivated to finish the tournament on a high note, the Cook Islands' tenacity and defensive energy stifled Tahiti throughout the game. Terai Sadler shone for Cook Islands with a standout 28-point effort, while Tahiti fought hard but could not overcome their defensive lapses. Mathilde Bayle had 11 points for Tahiti.
With this victory, Cook Islands end their campaign on a positive note, while Tahiti ends their run unable to break into the win column.
The race for promotion in Division B continues heats up as India face Iran, while Mongolia play Chinese Taipei in the Semi-Finals. Thailand and Kazakhstan will play for fifth place.
FIBA