Kathmandu, September 7 Nepal faced defeat at the hands of Bangladesh in their second match of the U-16 SABA Basketball Championship here at National Sports Council covered hall today. Nepal, who recorded a resounding 96-38 victory over Bhutan on Wednesday, went down by 68-57 against Bangladesh today. Bangladesh had beaten Bhutan 117-43 on Tuesday before facing a 82-65 defeat against India the following day. Nepal made a right start and dominated the first period to win it 22-10. Bangladesh bounced back strongly in second quarter and reduced the deficit to just one point after they claimed the period 21-10. The home side staged a comeback in the third quarter and extended the lead to five points by claiming it 14-10. The final quarter made all the difference as Bangladesh scored 27 points, while Nepal managed just 11 points. Nepal’s Abhishek Singh top scored in the match with 23 points but that was not enough for the home side to avert the defeat. Tanbir Prodhan scored 18 points for Bangladesh. Meanwhile, Nepal Basketball Association President Lama Tendi Sherpa announced a cash reward of Rs 45,000 to the team for putting up a brave effort against Bangladesh. In the day’s another match, Bhutan saw off Maldives 63-54 to register their first-ever victory in international competition. Bhutan claimed the first period 20-9 and continued the momentum in second and third periods winning 18-17 and 13-9. Although, Maldives took the final period 19-12. Tshering Deujor scored 17 points for Bhutan, while Thoha Mahmoud Zayan netted 13 points for Maldives. On Friday, Nepal will face India, while Maldives will take on Bangladesh.