After topping their group in the qualifiers, India had a disappointing outing in the opening game of the preliminary round as they went down against Philippines 76-85 in the ongoing Asian Games basketball competition here today.
The Amritpal Singh-led side struggled from the start against a clinical Philippines, trailing 16-24 by the first quarter.
Team Philippines gained ground in the second quarter, increasing the gap to 13 points and India were lagging behind 56-70 after the third quarter.
The Scott Flemming coached team tried to pull back things in the final quarter but failed to play catch-up against a much superior outfit, at least on the particular day.
Clubbed with Iran and Philippines in Group H of the preliminary draw, India will need to win their next match to have a chance of moving ahead.
The Indian cagers will next play Iran, who are yet to play a match in the preliminary draw.
