China and Australia book separate wins in Melbourne
MELBOURNE (Australia) - China and Australia solidified their spots in the top half of Group B after booking separate wins in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Asian Qualifiers.
MELBOURNE (Australia) - China and Australia solidified their spots in the top half of Group B after booking separate wins on the second day of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Asian Qualifiers' third window.
China Rebound
China rebounded from a tough loss to Australia by defeating Chinese Taipei, 94-58. Chinese Taipei kept this one close for the first half, trailing by four points at the break before China broke the game open in the third period. In that span, Coach Du Feng's wards outscored Chinese Taipei, 30-10, to put the outcome beyond doubt.
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The inside-outside pairing of Zhou Qi and Hu Mingxuan proved too much for Chinese Taipei. The 1.91M (6'3") Hu led all scorers with 26 points on 8-of-12 field goal shooting while also getting 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. Zhou, meanwhile, was his usual dominant self, tallying 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 blocks in just under 18 minutes of action.
Chinese Taipei's aggressive play enabled them to stay within striking distance of China before the latter's size overwhelmed them in the second half. Lin Bing Sheng paced the losing side with 15 points.
Both sides take a day's rest tomorrow before plunging back into action on 3 July. Chinese Taipei will try to bounce back against Japan on that date, while China take another crack at undefeated Australia.
Boomers Untouched
It took just one quarter of competitive action before Australia blew the doors against Japan in this match. The Boomers were too big and too good for the visitors as the Aussies gained win number four overall, 98-52.
Australia dominated practically every facet of this game. They outrebounded Japan, 47-32, outshot them from the field and from the free-throw line, and had more assists and steals. The Boomers, in fact, led by as many as 54 points.
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William McDowell-White and Sam Froling shone brightly for Australia with 14 and 12 points respectively. Samuel McDaniel also impressed with 14 points in just 18 minutes of play. On the other end, Keisei Tominaga was the only Japanese player to break into double-figures with 18 points on the back of five three-pointers.
Australia remain undefeated and will next face China on 3 July. Japan, meanwhile, will try to bounce back against Chinese Taipei on the same date.
FIBA