AMMAN (Jordan) - China took a major step in their goal of reclaiming the gold as they punched their ticket to the FIBA U18 Asia Cup 2024 Semi-Finals following a wire-to-wire 89-43 victory over India, Saturday at the Prince Hamza Hall.
Hungry to end what has been an 10-year title drought, the young Team Dragon needed only little time to take control of the match against the surprise squad of this year's tournament on their way to their third Semis appearance in a row.
Not only did they book a return trip to the Semis, but the Chinese have secured as well a spot to the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2025 in Switzerland.
Liu Li led the pack with 15 points and 8 rebounds. Chen Jiazheng made 13 points while Zhang Boyuan and Zhang Huafei chimed in 11 points apiece as all 11 players contributed at least 3 points in the dominant victory.
Chen himself only nailed a triple the whole game but that was actually the game's opening basket, which also triggered a 7-0 start for his team.
The others would help out afterwards and Team China would eventually build an 18-2 lead, marking the start of a one-sided affair favor of the powerhouse.
Collective effort on offense was indeed the difference in the rout as China collected 25 assists, which were 16 more than what their foes had. The way they shared the wealth led to better looks. They shot 47.9-percent from the floor.
Joining China in Lausanne next year will be New Zealand following their 87-61 victory over Iran, as two of the four tickets via Asia have been booked.
Carter Hopoi delivered a game-high 28 points and 5 rebounds, while Tama Isaac provided 24 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists as they formed a strong 1-2 punch to lead the Junior Tall Blacks in breaking away for good in the second quarter.
Isaac himself nailed back-to-back treys before Hopoi came through with a bucket inside for an 8-0 run toward a 35-22 lead, and it would be all New Zealand since as they marched onto Sunday's Semis unscathed, still, after four games.
A total of 10 players scored at least 2 in the win, and that's big thanks to the way they shared the wealth as evidenced by the 20 assists they chalked up.
By reaching the next round, the Junior Tall Blacks have remained on pace of bettering their finish from 2018, where they settled for silver behind Australia.
With their win, New Zealand have formalized the first of two Semi-Final brackets as they forged a showdown with China in a clash between favorites.
FIBA