Boomers, Korea and Gilas end Day 3 with record routs

BEIRUT (Lebanon) - New Zealand hardly broke a sweat in beating Hong Kong, China, 88-49, to stay perfect in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers, Sunday at the EventFinda Stadium.

 

 

Coming off a 20-point rout of Chinese Taipei last Thursday, the Tall Blacks pulled away in the first quarter toward their second win in as many games.

 

Tyrell Harrison imposed his presence inside and finished with a game-high 18 points. The 24-year-old, 2.14 M (7'0") center shot 7-of-8 from the field and also collected 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks in the 17 minutes he played off the bench.

Dan Fotu backed him up with 13 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals as all 12 players of Coach Pero Cameron contributed at least 2 points in the rout.

New Zealand were clinging to a slim one-point lead until Flynn Cameron and Ethan Rusbatch connected for a lay-up with 4:43 remaining in the first, igniting an overwhelming 19-0 scoring spree to give themselves a 27-7 advantage at the end of the said period.

A team that shot 45.5-percent from the floor, the Tall Blacks dominated the boards, 61-31. They collared 19 offensive rebounds and scored 25 points off second chances. Furthermore, their bench play was impressive as well by bringing 51 points.

Japan finally beat China after 88 years

Japan ended decades of disappointments against China as they took down their long-time rivals by way of a 76-73 decision at the Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo.

Makoto Hiejima's split from the foul line with 6.6 seconds left plus the visiting side's failure to convert on the other end sealed the home team's victory of historic proportions as it marked their first win over the Chinese in 88 years, or since the 1936 Summer Olympics.

 

Yudai Baba led the way with 24 points on four triples, alongside 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal. Josh Hawkinson delivered 14 points and 12 rebounds while Yuki Kawamura added 12.

Hu Jinqiu and Hu Mingxuan, on the other hand, finished with 23 and 20 points, respectively, for Team China, who actually started out strong, 14-3, until Japan caught up.

Korea maul Thailand at home

After that tough loss to Australia in their first game, Korea finished their Window 1 campaign emphatically following a 96-62 mauling of Thailand at the Wonju Gymnasium.

The home team went on a 14-3 scoring tear behind the stewardship of Yang Hongseok and Kim Jongkyu to finish the first quarter with a 28-15 lead, never to let up.

 

Five players finished in double figures in the victory, with Ra Gun-ah showing the way with 15 points and 6 rebounds. Kim produced 14 points off the bench.

Yang made 13 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals on his way to netting a 23 EFF. Ha Yungi also scored 13 alongside 14 rebounds for a double-double. Byeong Junhyeong supplied 11 points and 5 assists, while Kang Sangjae added 10 points and 5 feeds as well.

Freddie Lish, on the other hand, had 26 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists to lead Thailand, which finished the window with a 0-2 card. Moses Morgan backed him up with 13.

Guam chalk up win no. 1

Guam kept their mastery of Mongolia in a rematch of Asia Cup 2025 Pre-Qualifiers teams, 74-63, to finish their Window 1 campaign on a winning note at the UG Arena in Ulaanbaatar.

Earnest Ross Jr. haunted the Blue Wolves once more as he led the visiting team's charge with a game-high 19 points on five treys, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, and a block in 35 minutes.

 

Jonathan Galloway flirted with a double-double as well with 14 points and 9 rebounds. Takumi Fukuda had 12 points on three triples while Tai Wesley tallied a 12-5-4 stat line.

Jericho Cruz added 10 points, including a lay-up off the break to push their lead to 72-60 with 35.7 seconds left to play to help Guam finish strongly after seeing what was once a 14-point lead become just six, 64-58, with 2:31 remaining in the game.

Bilguun Battuvshin, meanwhile, submitted a full line of 13 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 steals, and 1 block to lead Mongolia, who finished Window 1 with a 0-2 record.

Gilas romp Chinese Taipei in Pasig

The Philippines became the first team to score a century's worth of points following a masterful 106-53 showing at home against Chinese Taipei at the Philsports Arena.

Justin Brownlee starred in his first game back in Manila as he finished with 26 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks for an efficiency of 40.

 

But it wasn't all 'JB' in the lopsided victory as plenty other Filipino dribblers stood out, Kai Sotto came through with another strong double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds, along with 5 assists and a game-high 3 blocks towards a 29 EFF.

Calvin Oftana supplied 13 points on three triples. Dwight Ramos produced 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field. Carl Tamayo had 11 while Kevin Quiambao added 10 points and 6 rebounds for Gilas, who pulled away late in the first and never looked back.

Liu Cheng, meanwhile, was the lone bright spot for Chinese Taipei with 13 points on 14 attempts as the visitors will be heading home winless in two games.

Boomers put on masterclass against Timnas 

Australia kept Indonesia winless by way of a 106-51 beatdown at the Indonesia Arena in Jakarta, becoming the second team to score a hundred points in this window.

All 12 players of Coach Brian Goorjian saw action and contributed at least 3 points, with Isaac Humphries bannering the offense with 18 points on 6-of-8 field goal shooting.

 

Joshua Bannan made 17 points and 8 rebounds. Veteran Nick Kay provided 14 points while Dejan Vasiljevic and Taran Armstrong supplied 13 and 11 markers for the Boomers, who broke the game wide open in the third by way of a strong 22-2 showing.

The win has made Australia the lone leader in Group A with a 2-0 record, with their first win coming at the expense of Korea in Bendigo, an 85-71 come-from-behind victory.

Lester Prosper, meanwhile, carried the load for the Indonesians with a game-high 26 points, spiked by four triples, and 8 rebounds in the defeat.

FIBA