India lost to Japan 66-77 in their classification match of the FIBA Asia Challenge 2016 on Saturday. After losing their quarter-final clash 77-47 to Iran, India are playing for its classification spot for the fifth to eighth places. India needed a top five finish to earn its South Asia zone another berth in the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup. India now face Taipei for a classification finish of seven or eight on Sunday.
Japan took an early lead in the first quarter, leading 22-14 with the Indian defence failing to contain the opposition players. India improved defensively, but were still trailing 40-33. However, Japan upped the ante and were leading by 11 points in the third quarter, 60-51. In the fourth quarter, India tried their best to stage a comeback, but it wasn’t enough to get past Japan. They eventually lost 66-77. Amritpal Singh was the top scorer of the match with 22 points and 14 rebounds. Ira Demon Brown top-scored for Japan with 20 points.