The Indian Under-16 girls hoopsters begun their Asia Championships campaign with a 52-97 loss to seasoned heavyweights South Korea here on Sunday.
Placed in Level 1 with top Asian teams, India turned the ball over as many as 30 times to hand their opponents this decisive win.
South Korea's high pressure defence had them racing away to a 30-8 first quarter lead. India's defence tightened in the second quarter to restrict South Korea to 17 points, but they still led 47-17.
The second half saw an improvement offensively with India tallying close to 20 points in each of the third and fourth quarters.
For India, guard Rutuja Pawar and centre Sushantika Chakravortty hit double digits in scoring while a balanced South Korea moved the ball exceptionally well to tally 28 team assists, enabling five players to score 10 points or more. Tamil Nadu forward Srishti Suren showcased her physicality with 12 rebounds, 10 of which came on the defensive end.
India will take on another Asian giant Japan on Monday.