SHENZHEN (China) - China secured their place in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 following a 100-58 blowout of Japan at the Shenzhen Sports Center Thursday night.
Team Dragon erupted for 31 big points in the second frame to establish a 50-33 lead entering the break, and it would be a one-sided affair the rest of the way as the home team went on to book its ticket to the tournament proper in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
It was easily one of their most convincing victories in these Qualifiers but making it all the more gratifying for the red-and-gold was that they got back at their long-time rivals after losing their Window 1 encounter, 76-73, at the Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo.
About a year after that shocker of a result, the Chinese exacted revenge, and it sure felt sweet as the win also sent the program to its 24th appearance in the prestigious competition in which they are actually the winningest nation with 16 titles.
Half of the 12-man lineup finished in double figures in the win, with big man Hu Jinqiu top-scoring with 17 points on 8-of-12 field goal shooting and 5 rebounds
Zhao Rui flirted with a double-double as he delivered 16 points and 8 rebounds, netting an efficiency of 21. Zeng Fanbo and Xu Jie made 13 points apiece.
Zhou Qi made 11 points and 7 rebounds, while Liao Sanning had 10 points and 6 assists in the triumph that hiked their record to 4-1, sending them atop Group C.
Team China shot 50.7-percent and won the rebounding battle as well in dominant fashion, 52-33, much to the delight of the 11,738 fans that filled up the venue.
The AKATSUKI JAPAN, on the other hand, were led by Ryusei Sasaki with 17 points as they absorbed their first loss after a 4-0 start into the Qualifiers.
Alex Kirk made 11 points and 10 rebounds whole Kai Toews added 10 as they were the only other double-digit scorer for the team of Coach Tom Hovasse.
Blue Wolves get back at Guam
Meanwhile, the other game in the group saw Mongolia finally break through into the Asia Cup Qualifiers win column after exacting revenge against Guam, 74-63.
Hardly bothered by the partisan crowd inside the Calvo Fieldhouse, the Blue Wolves roared big in the second half and even went on to lead by as many as 21, but still needed to ward off the home team's late surge headed by Earnest Ross Jr.
Interestingly, however, both teams are caught in a deadlock at third in Group C. Aside from carrying similar 1-4 records following this result, none of them have the advantage in the head-to-head battle as they are tied at 137-all.
Their first game ended with a similar scoreline back in Window 1 in February of last year, which saw the Guamanians snatch the win at the UG Arena in Ulaanbaatar.
So, that makes their upcoming games - set this Sunday - all the more crucial, with Mongolia battling Japan and Guam taking on China.
Margad Erdenetsetseg top-scored for the visiting side with 16 points and 9 rebounds. The troika of veteran forward Tommy Bilguun, Bolor-Erdene Gantsolmon, and Erdenetsogt Ochirbat supplied 11 points apiece in the important victory.
Ross, meanwhile, finished with 18 points and 8 rebounds for Guam in the comeback that fell short. Jonathan Galloway backed him up with 17 and 10.
Tai Wesley flirted with a triple-double as he registered 8 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists but his key contribution in the match was his split from the line with three-tenths of a second remaining, as it forced the tie between the two teams.
FIBA