Indian hoopsters go down to Qatar 99-73 in World Cup Qualifiers match

Indian hoopsters lost their third FIBA World Cup 2027 Qualifiers Group D match 99-73 against Qatar at the Lusail Multipurpose Hall on Saturday.

Brandon Goodwin led the way for the hosts with a game-high 23 points, while Kanwar Sandhu was world No. 75 India’s leading scorer with 15 points.

Princepal Singh got the scoreboard ticking with a free throw for India before Brandon Goodwin and Tyler Harris helped Qatar take control of the match, guiding the hosts to a 28-17 lead at the end of the first quarter.

India started the second quarter with a Kanwar Sandhu three-pointer to set the tone for the period. They went on to outscore Qatar 26-17 in the second quarter, reducing the deficit to 45-43 at the break.

World No. 78 Qatar then seized complete control of the match in the third quarter by heavily outscoring India 30-9 in a decisive burst that ultimately proved to be the difference.

After a game-defining third quarter, India tried to wrestle back momentum in the fourth and managed to score 21 points – still three fewer than Qatar.

This was India’s third defeat in as many Group D matches at the FIBA World Cup 2027 Qualifiers. They are currently bottom of their group with three points, having lost both home and away in their first two qualifiers against Saudi Arabia last year.

The Indian team will take on world No. 28 Lebanon, the top-ranked team in their group, in Zouk Mikael on Tuesday. A total of 80 teams from four FIBA regions – Africa, Asia and Oceania, Europe, as well as the Americas – are competing across the six qualifying windows.

India are one of 16 teams that are competing in the FIBA Asia and Oceania qualifiers. They have been clubbed in Group D along with Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.