Women cagers manage bronze
FLAVIO LOPES
MAPUSA: A crowded place is always uncomfortable to be in but the same turned into an electrifying experience at Dr Shyama Mukherjee Stadium, Taleigao, on Monday as India men defeated Angola 77-70 to clinch the gold medal at 3rd Lusofonia Games.
The Stadium was jam-packed, exceeding over 4,000 spectators from its actual capacity. The timings of the finals created all the confusion as the organizers had earlier given 6 p.m. as the time of the main event and had also announced it on Sunday after the second semi-finals. However, after last minute changes, which obviously the press was unaware of or communicated late, the match began at 5 p.m. All was going well until 6 p.m. when all the chaos and confusion began as more spectators came in and the organizers found it hard to accommodate the crowds, who however did not mind standing and seating on the stairs.
India remained undefeated in the tournament while Angola two matches which came against India. Angola has a strong basketball following as their team is ranked 15th in the FIBA World rankings. However, their Lusofonia squad consisted of upcoming players, without any seniors and gave a tough fight to the opposition who are just ranked 43rd in FIBA’s Asian rankings.
The Angolan’s started brightly with four quick points while India opened their account in the second minute through Joinder Singh’s three-pointer and there on carried the momentum to lead the first two quarters. However, Angola clicked into a rhythm after the lemon break and lead the third quarter by three points, 53-50. The final quarter provided a perfect end to the grand finale as the hosts pulled their strings, just like they did yesterday in the semis. Joginder Singh (18) and Bhirguvanshi (17) stood out for India while Amjyot Singh also contributed 12 points. Angola’s Mdoniema Edson was the top scorer of the match with 23 points.
India coach, Scott Fleming was glad and felt the boys deserved all the credit. “The players have been working very hard and I’m glad for them. We can play way better and the team still has a lot to learn. Angola had NBA type player bodies and we have to work a lot on our strengths and conditioning of the players in the future.” said Fleming at the post-match conference. Earlier, Mozambique got the better of Cape Verde 56-37 in the bronze medal match.
In the women’s category, Mozambique clinched the gold medal after defeating Angola 73-49 while India settled for the bronze.
“The players have been working very hard and I’m glad for them. We can play way better and the team still has a lot to learn. Angola had NBA type player bodies and we have to work a lot on our strengths and conditioning of the players in the future.”
— Scott Fleming,
India coach
