Poonam Chaturvedi, the six-foot seven-inch centre, pumped in 32 points as India defeated Hong Kong 76-67 for its third straight win in the FIBA Asia under-18 girls basketball championship at Johor Bahru, Malaysia, on Monday.
India led 19-13 at the end of the first quarter and it stood the team in good stead at the end in the championship’s second division (Level II) game. The two teams were level 18-18 in the next quarter and the other two sessions were also very close.
While Poonam, the country’s tallest basketballer, came up with the team’s top score, M.S. Sharanjeet contributed 16 points.