October 20, Kathmandu – Budhanilkantha Municipality entered the semifinals undefeated by winning all three group stage matches in the 10th National Women’s Open Basketball Championship. The tournament, organized by the Nepal Basketball Association (NEBA), began on Monday at Kirtipur Covered Hall. Situated in Group B, Budhanilkantha secured their third consecutive victory on Tuesday by defeating Training Ground 57-50.
In a highly competitive match, Budhanilkantha posted quarter scores of 14-14, 12-8, 17-23, and 14-5. Anuja Malla of Budhanilkantha led with a game-high 27 points and was named Player of the Match. With this win, Budhanilkantha tops Group B with six points.
In another Group B match, Training Ground secured their place in the semifinals as group runners-up by thrashing Lumbini Province 77-6. Demonstrating dominance, Training Ground recorded quarter scores of 33-0, 14-4, 17-0, and 13-2. Winamani Yonjan led with 15 points, while Hira Bohara earned Player of the Match honors. With two wins and one loss, Training Ground accumulated five points and advanced to the semifinals as runners-up.
In Group A matches on Tuesday, Sunsari Basketball Association and Annapurna Basketball Association both claimed victories. Sunsari edged IS Nepal 38-36 in an exciting contest. Though IS Nepal held leads of 4-3 and 10-7 in the first two quarters, Sunsari matched 13-13 in the third and outscored IS Nepal 15-9 in the final quarter. Sunsari’s Himkhen Limbu scored eight points, and Sanita Limbu was named Player of the Match.
The other Group A encounter saw Annapurna defeat Let’s Go Basketball Academy 48-41. Annapurna posted quarter scores of 15-9, 5-7, 9-9, and 19-16. Nirbhay Sharma led Annapurna with 25 points and earned Player of the Match recognition. IS Nepal topped Group A, while Sunsari advanced as runners-up to the semifinals.
In the semifinal matchups scheduled for Thursday, Group A winners IS Nepal will face Group B runners-up Grandy Stars, while Group B champions Budhanilkantha will compete against Group A runners-up Sunsari.
This championship marks the return of a national women’s basketball tournament after a decade, organized by the Nepal Basketball Association. It also serves as the selection platform for the national team for the SABA Women’s Basketball Championship. The competition features eight teams divided into two groups, with the top two from each group advancing to the semifinals. The tournament runs until July 20 (Asar 6), with the champion receiving a cash prize of NPR 50,000 and the runner-up NPR 30,000. Additional prizes include NPR 10,000 for the Most Valuable Player (MVP), NPR 10,000 for the rising team, and NPR 5,000 for the outstanding player participating from outside the valley.
