Kathmandu, March 31

Nepal registered their third straight victory in the first South Asian Women’s Basketball Championship here at the National Sports Council covered hall today.

The hosts thrashed Bhutan 90-32 and the win meant they are assured of at least a silver medal in the inaugural tournament. Nepal are currently on top of the five-team round-robin competition with six points from three matches, while Sri Lanka are at the second position with four. The Maldives are third with three points, whereas Bhutan and Bangladesh have two each.

Bhawana Lama was the star of the match for the hosts as she netted 21 points, while Sneha Shrestha and Luniva Singh scored 14 each. Anusha Malla netted 12 points. Nepal displayed a improved show in shooting compared to their previous match against Maldives. Nepal opened up with a 15-point lead in the first period taking the set 24-9. Lama netted 14 points alone in the second period as Nepal won 34-6 to extend their lead to 58 points.

The Nepali players looked relaxed in the third quarter and scored 16 points allowing Bhutan to score seven, while the hosts won the final period 16-10 to complete the formalities. Pem Tshring netted 12 points for Bhutan.

Nepal coach Bikash Shahi was happy with his team’s show. “This is the game we need to have in our next match against Sri Lanka,” said Shahi, who lauded Lama’s performance. “She played beautifully today and she was also good in defense.” Shahi, however, said the team needed to improve in shooting. Bhutan’s coach Sonam Tashi was happy with the performance of his side. “We played better game against the hosts. This is our first-ever tournament and they were great,” he said. “Nepal were good in every sector but we were able to break free in third and fourth periods,” Tashi added.

In an earlier match, the Maldives registered their first win defeating Bangladesh 62-28. Maldives took a 17-4 lead and extended that winning the second quarter 11-6. Sri Lanka then won the third period 20-10 and took the final quarter 14-8. On Friday, Sri Lanka will take on Bangladesh, while Maldives will play against Bhutan.