skipper shireen limaye

Having failed to play a single game in the past two years cost India dear as the 70th ranked women’s outfit found defending champions and basketball Olympic Games’ silver medalist Japan too tough to handle in their FIBA Asia Cup tournament opener at Amman, Jordan, on Monday.

A day after being humbled by Olympic Games' silver medalist Japan, the young Indian hoopsters gave an improved performance but were left without gas as the game progressed to go down 69-107 against Korea in their second outing of the FIBA women's Asia Cup basketball tournament at Amman, Jordan, on Tuesday.

Indian women will once again play in the lower division of Asia. Having failed to utilize the early advantage they managed to take for the first time in four games, Indian cagers were not only sent packing from the Asia Cup by Philippines, but they were also relegated from Asia's best eight teams.

14-year-old Pune girl Shireen Limaye managed to get the ball back from the board a whopping 61 times in the tournament. But she did not get much time to admire her trophy.

After finishing their league stage with a win after four consecutive defeats, Indian cagers made a cautious start.

Hosts Delhi maintained their unbeaten run humbling Maharashtra girls 81-59 to make it to the last four of Senior National Basketball Championship.

A 13-0 run at the end of first quarter proved enough for India to win their qualifying game against Hong Kong 81-51 and finish fifth in Asia, and retain their elite berth for the 2013 FIBA Asia U-16 Basketball Championship for Women.

India's 3x3 men's basketball team put up a tough fight against China but ultimately lost 15-18 due to foul trouble. Meanwhile, the 5x5 women's team secured their second win by defeating Mongolia 68-62, with Pushpa Senthil Kumar leading the team with 30 points and 12 rebounds. Anmolpreet Kaur and Shireen Limaye also contributed with 14 points each. Despite a strong effort from the Mongolian team, India emerged victorious by a six-point margin.

India ended a 23-year drought in the FIBA Asia Championship for women with a 65-62 overtime win against Kazakhstan in a humdinger of a contest to post their first ever Level 1 win in the history of the competition at Bangkok on Thursday.

India's women's basketball team suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of China in their last league game at the Asian Games. Despite the loss, India still qualified for the quarterfinals as the second-best team in their pool. China dominated the game from the start, leading by 31 points in the first quarter. India struggled to match China's lead throughout the game, eventually losing 111-53.

Mugdha Amraotkar and Shruti Sherigar combined well to share 49 points between them as Maharashtra made light work of Uttar Pradesh 85-71 in their classification game of the 68th Senior National Basketball Championship at the Nehru Stadium in Chennai on Tuesday.

Maharashtra boys and girls put up a brilliant performance at Divisional Sports Complex to kick start their campaign in style in the 28th Youth National Basketball Championship.

With a 29-point defeat, Maharashtra suffered yet another quarterfinal exit from the national championship conducted by the Basketball Federation of India.

India came from behind in the final quarter to stun Kazakhstan 75-73 and secure their return to Asia's top-tier in the FIBA Women's Asia Cup.

In yet another low, Indian women hoopsters failed on both sides of the court as world no. 36 New Zealand cruised to an emphatic 60-point (109-49) win over them in their third and final group outing of Division A in the FIBA Asia Cup basketball tournament at Amman, Jordan, on Wednesday.

Maharashtra men flattered only to deceive against Assam while their women cruised along to their third victory on the trot on Day 3 of the National Basketball Championship.

On a day of fluctuating fortunes, Maharashtra outplayed the girls from Capital city 82-37 while boys flattered only to deceive against the fast Delhi boys.

Maharashtra men and women cagers continued their winning run in the 68th Senior National Basketball Championship at the Nehru Stadium in Chennai on Saturday.

A year after being dropped from the national squad on fitness issues, Prashanti Singh made a comeback in the Indian women's team for the 25th Fiba Asia Basketball Championship in Bangkok.

The Indian men's 3x3 basketball team defeated Macao, China 21-12, securing their place in the knockout stage at the Asian Games. The women's 5x5 team also had a successful start to their campaign, with a 66-46 victory over higher ranked Indonesia. However, the U-23 3x3 girls team suffered their second consecutive defeat against hosts China. In the next round, the Indian men's team will face unbeaten China, while the women's team will compete against Mongolia.