TIMEINDONESIA, JAKARTA – In the second 2024 Olympic pre-qualifier game held at Al Fayhaa Stadium in Damascus, Syria, the Indonesian national basketball team put up fierce resistance even though they eventually had to concede victory to the India with a final score of 90. -74.
The game that took place on Sunday (8/13/2023) that night showed the great fighting spirit of Indonesian players, especially the young players.
Even though they lost, the Indonesian national basketball team managed to make India uncomfortable by producing runs, especially in the last two quarters of the game. The Indonesian players struggled to limit the Indian attacks and gain important points which reduced the opponent’s advantage.
Indonesian national team assistant coach Yohannis Winar has revealed that although there are still gaps in defense and attack, Indonesia’s young players are capable of putting up persistent resistance against India.
“It was only in the first two quarters that the defending players made it easier for the opponent to organize the attack. Players also don’t dare to go inside, only outside,” Yohannis Winar said in an official statement.
In this game, the Indonesian national basketball team looked impressive early in the first quarter with Juan Laurent Kokodiputra opening the scoring with a three-pointer. However, India did not remain silent and managed to equalize, even winning at the end of the first quarter with the score of 25-16.
In the second quarter, Indonesia continued to try to keep pace with India. Widyanta Putra Teja and Yudha Saputera managed to contribute with two and three point shots but India remained aggressive and managed to hold on to their lead. At the end of the first half, the score was 50-36 in favor of India.
At the start of the third quarter, the Indonesian national basketball team tried hard to close the gap with India. Hendrick Xavi Yonga scored three important points for Indonesia, but India held firm to maintain their dominance. At the end of the third quarter, India were still leading with a score of 69-55.
During the last quarter, Indonesia showed extraordinary combativeness. Reza Guntara with a three-pointer helped open the points tap for Indonesia. Despite fierce resistance from Indonesia, they managed to score 19 points, India were also no less tough, scoring 21 points, and eventually won the match with a score of 90-74.
In terms of points scored, Marques Bolden is the Indonesian national basketball team’s most productive player with 23 points and 9 rebounds. On the Indian side, Muin Bek Hafeez became a star by registering 15 points and 5 assists.
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