Budhanilkantha and ISA Nepal Secure Consecutive Wins in 10th National Women’s Open Basketball Championship

September 18, Kathmandu – Budhanilkantha Municipality and ISA Nepal have both secured their second consecutive victories in the 10th National Women’s Open Basketball Championship. Organized by the Nepal Basketball Association (NEBA), the tournament is being held at the Kirtipur Covered Hall. On the second day of competition, Budhanilkantha, competing in Group B, defeated Lumbini Province decisively with a score of 54-25. Budhanilkantha led in three quarters while both teams were tied in one quarter, delivering quarter scores of 20-6, 14-14, 10-3, and 10-2. Lorisha Gauchan of Budhanilkantha was declared the Player of the Match, and Anusha Mall scored the highest 11 points for her team. Budhanilkantha had earlier beat Grandy Stars in their opening game.

In another Group B match, Grandy Stars recorded their first win by defeating Training Ground 55-34. Grandy Stars posted quarter scores of 15-6, 9-14, 17-7, and 14-8 against Training Ground. Winamani Yonjan of Grandy Stars stood out with 14 points and was named Player of the Match. Training Ground, who had defeated Lumbini in their first match, suffered their first loss.

Meanwhile, in Group A, ISA Nepal registered their second consecutive win by beating Annapurna Basketball Association 48-23. Although trailing 5-8 in the first quarter, ISA Nepal came back strongly, dominating the next three quarters with scores of 14-6, 15-2, and 14-7. Arsha Raj Bhandari led the team with 12 points and was awarded Player of the Match. ISA Nepal had previously won against Let’s Go Basketball Academy in their opening match.

In another Group A encounter, Sunsari achieved their first victory by defeating Let’s Go Basketball Academy 41-33. Sunsari’s quarter scores were 12-5, 14-16, 5-8, and 10-4. Aastha Rai was named Player of the Match after scoring 12 points.

The Nepal Basketball Association is hosting a national women’s basketball competition after a decade. This tournament also serves as a selection platform for the National Team for the South Asian Basketball Association (SABA) Women’s Basketball Championship. Eight participating teams are divided into two groups for the group stage. Following this phase, the top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals. Scheduled to run until September 21, the championship offers a prize of NPR 50,000 to the winner and NPR 30,000 to the runner-up. Additionally, awards include NPR 10,000 for the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the tournament, NPR 10,000 for the emerging team, and NPR 5,000 for a notable emerging player from outside the valley.

Photo: NEBA