China overcome Jordan in front of 12,000 fans

BEIJING (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers) - China showed that winning is not about how you start, but about how you end.

The home team slogged through an anemic first quarter that saw them trail by as many as 14 points, but they managed to find their groove after that and proceeded to outplay West Asia visitors Jordan to prevail, 88-79.

The Chinese utilized much better outside shooting and ball movement to frustrate the Jordanians, who have lost back-to-back games for the first time in the Asian Qualifiers. China made 7 three-pointers to just 2 from Jordan and also handed out 20 assists to Jordan's 14.

The hosts also undoubtedly got a lot of support from the 12,000-strong hometown crowd that cheered them on every step of the way as they slowly chipped at the deficit till finally retaking the lead for good in the fourth quarter.

Wu Qian had 17 points to lead China, while Han Dejun was a tower of power in the middle, scoring 16 points on 6-of-8 field goal shooting and 4 rebounds. Four other Chinese players scored in double-digits - Zhou Peng and Hu Jinqiu with 14 each, Hu Mingxuan with 12 and Ren Junfei with 10.

Dar Tucker and Ahmad Al Dwairi carried the fight for Jordan with 23 and 21 points respectively, but the latter eventually fouled out at a crucial stretch of the match. Veteran forward Zaid Abbas also did well with 16 points.

China remain a game behind Jordan in the Group E standings with 4 wins and as many losses. The Jordanians, meanwhile, absorbed only their third defeat in eight games.

Both teams return to action on 29 November in the fifth window, with Jordan playing on the road against New Zealand, while China will host Syria.

FIBA