AS SALT (Jordan) - China and Japan remained perfect ahead of their rivalry affair after dispatching their respective foes in Tuesday's FIBA U18 Asia Cup action.
The Chinese were the first to go 2-0 in Group C after a balanced attack bannered by Huan Sifeng enabled the squad to rip Qatar, 99-43, at the Arena Complex.
The 2.09 M (6'10") big man went an excellent 6-of-7 from the floor, including a tret, and finished with 13 points as he sparked his side's pullaway late in the first quarter toward gaining the provisional lead in Group C with a perfect 2-0 record.
Team China were only leading by six until a dunk of his proved to be the point where momentum would completely shift their way, as they went on to outscore their foes, 13-6, to conclude the said chapter holding a 28-15 advantage.
Soon they would double their lead to 50-25 entering the break, and the squad never faced any resistance as all hands were on deck to ensure as much.
Li Liu also came through with 13 points, along with 7 rebounds. Zhang Boyuan, the star of their conquest of Kazakhstan 24 hours ago, had 11 points this time. Zhang Huafei added 10, as all 12 players scored at least 2 points thanks to their 31 assists.
Mohamed Ndao, meanwhile, made 15 points and 8 rebounds to lead Qatar, who remained winless after two outings. Yassin Mousa added 10 in the loss.
Japan would follow China for the share of the group lead following an 84-35 beatdown of Kazakhstan thanks hugely to an impressive field goal shooting.
The 2022 runners-up roared to an 18-1 start into the match, and the outcome would never be in question as their counterparts could not gather any rhythm.
Four players in twin digits in the win, led by the 13 points of Kenichiro Benedict. Leon Watanabe and Riku Segawa each had 12 apiece and combined for 8 rebounds, while Shori Togaeri added 10 points and 5 boards as all 12 players scored at least 2.
Japan racked up 29 assists, 17 of which they made in just the first two quarters. The team shot an excellent 51.5-percent from the floor in the conquest.
Both games should serve as sold warm-ups for Japan and China ahead of their duel in the final day of the Group Phase on Thursday, September 4, at 11:30 local time.
The winner of this highly-anticipated clasg will take the no. 1 seed of the group and book an outright berth to the Quarter-Finals set on Saturday.
FIBA