Sri Lanka pulled off a comfortable 115-11 win over Bangladesh to record its third win in a row from as many matches played. Sri Lanka led all four quarters 23-4, 22-2, 28-3, 42-2. Ekanayake Anjalee contributed the highest 15 points for the Lankan eves.In another match, the Maldives overcame Bhutan 69-46 scoring 19-11, 16-6, 12-21, 22-8. Ubaicihalla Huma contributed the highest 18 points for the winning team.
Nepal meets Sri Lanka today for title
Both Nepal and Sri Lanka have won three matches each in the five-team contest being held in round-robin league format. The winner of the Nepal-Sri Lanka encounter will be crowned champion and the loser will finish runner-up.
If the words of home team coach Bikash Shahi is to be believed, Nepali basketball is on the verge of transformation and the outcome against Sri Lanka could be a turning point for Nepali basketball. The winning result will be the biggest achievement for Nepali basketball and also the first international title.
It will also be the first international gold for Sri Lanka if it beats Nepal in the last league match. Nepal had registered 77-36 win over the Maldives, 92-26 win over Bangladesh and 90-32 win over Bhutan. Similarly, Sri Lanka had also registered comfortable wins in all three group matches.
Commenting on the opponent, Nepal's coach Shahi said that Sri Lanka is a strong side and Nepal would leave no stone unturned to earn gold. "Sri Lanka is better than us in experience, physique and bench strength. But we are strong in pace and we will have advantage of home team and youth players," said Shahi.
Shahi has pinned his hopes on youth players and their performance. "Sneha Shrestha, Bhawana Lama and Preeti Tulachan are scoring well. Team coordination is going well. Our players are capable of stopping opponents in final. We will try to create history by winning gold on Saturday."
Sneha is the highest scorer from Nepal. She has netted 63 points in three matches. The Maldives coach had also heaped praise for Sneha after losing match against Nepal. "I think Sneha is an extraordinary player of the squad."
It is the second international tournament for Nepali women's basketball team after the Incheon Asian Games held in 2014.
Sri Lanka's coach Tuan Murad Amath said that his side was pressure free regarding Nepal's match. "We are confident of winning gold. It was difficult for us to play in our initial matches due to weather since it is cold here. But we are slowly getting used to play in the condition," he said. "Though Nepal is better than other teams and technically sound, we are confident of beating them."
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