JOHOR BAHRU, Malaysia (21st FIBA Asia U18 Championship for Women): A collection of quotes from players of various teams at the end of Prelim Round.

(Clockwise from top left): Yap Yi Ting (MAS), Dinara Mioldakhmetova (KAZ), Sirisup Soonthornsaratool (THA), Su Chih-Wei (TPE), Sharanjeet Kaur (IND), You Seunghee KOR

Dinara Mioldakhmetova (KAZ) on the team’s performance

“We came with a lot of hopes, but we couldn’t play according to expectations. We won two games, which is good, but lost two to better teams. That’s the lesson we are taking back. This experience of playing against and watching better teams, is obviously helping us a lot. When we come next time, we will be a lot better.”

Yap Yi Ting (MAS) on the game against India

“We have to play at our best to remain in the Level I. And we are prepared for that. We have studied their weaknesses, but most importantly we have to execute the plans according to what the coaches say. It will be a tough game.”

Sirisup Soonthornsaratool (THA) on the team’s performance in Level I

“Lot of people didn’t expect us to play as well as we have. We were against teams that were much taller and more experienced. That may be one of the reasons why we didn’t win as many games we would have liked to. But we are all happy and proud of our teammates and the coach.”

Su Chih-Wei (TPE) on the team finishing No 3 in Level I

“Last time Taipei won the bronze, so we were all determined to remain in that position. We have achieved the first step. Now we have to play well in the play-offs to win a medal. The way we played against Korea gives us the confidence. Even in the games we lost against China and Japan, we played very well. I am confident we can win a medal.”

Sharanjeet Kaur (IND) on the Level I play-off game against Malaysia

“We have won all the games so far. So people back home are expecting a lot from us. For us, the target of coming to this competition was to qualify for Level I. And we will be playing our toughest game to achieve that. They (Malaysia) are coming from the experience of playing against top teams. But we are confident.”

You Seunghee (KOR) on the team finishing No 4 in Level I

“We haven’t had good enough preparations. And we haven’t played as well as we should have. We are playing well in patches and that will be not enough in the semifinals. We’ll have to raise our level. We will do that.”

FIBA Asia