The Indian basketball team beat Kazakhstan 103-77 in the fifth-place playoff at the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup 2025 Division B tournament in Shenzhen, the People’s Republic of China, on Saturday.
Sreekala Rani starred for India with a game-high 30 points while Daria Koroleva was Kazakhstan’s top performer with 15 points.
This was India’s second win over the higher-ranked Kazakhstan in the tournament, having beaten them 85-68 in their Group A opener.
Earlier, India finished second in Group A to reach the semi-final qualifiers, but a defeat to Thailand ended their promotion hopes. Only the Division B champions earn a spot in Division A.
India made a strong start with Aneesha Cleetus knocking down a three-pointer to get the scoreboard ticking while Sreekala Rani got in on the action soon after as India raced to a 5-0 lead early on.
World No. 14 Kazakhstan then fought back to turn the tables and led 7-5 before the two teams would go on to exchange leads for most of the opening period.
With the scores tied on 22-22, India scored four unanswered points, which ensured that they had a 26-22 lead at the end of the first period.
The second quarter saw India, world No. 15 in the FIBA basketball rankings, shift gears. They conceded just 12 points while scoring 32 and went into the half-time break with a big 58-34 lead.
India maintained their grip in the final two quarters to extend their lead and secure a comfortable victory.
India returned to the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup fold after a four-year absence, having missed the 2023 edition following their relegation from Division A in 2021.
After finishing fifth in 2025, India will continue in Division B in the next edition of the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup.