SHENZHEN (China) - It was inevitable that Zhang Ziyu was the opposing team's primary focus on defense as China met New Zealand in a battle between Group A teams in the FIBA U18 Women's Asia Cup 2024 on Tuesday.
The 2.20 M (7'2") sensation had an impressive debut the night before, where she went a perfect 9-for-9 from the field for 19 points, along with 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks in their 109-50 beatdown of Indonesia.
So the Junior Tall Ferns made it hard for her especially in the first half, with the help defense blindsiding her particularly at times where she's away from the basket while scanning the floor looking for teammates to pass the ball to.
But they could only do so much. Zhang still managed to find her spots, precisely around the basket, and eventually found her way - to their foes' frustration.
The 17-year-old went on to submit easily the best performance of the ongoing competition to date. She finished with 36 points and 13 rebounds, and laced it with 4 blocks as well to power the hosts to a 90-68 victory, improving to 2-0 in the Group Phase.
Unlike the last time out, Zhang was fielded in as a starter against New Zealand. She already had 30 before the third quarter ended, and finished with a 16-of-20 shooting clip on her way to registering an efficiency (EFF) of 44.
In both divisions of the ongoing competitions, no other player has scored 30 points and none, definitely has tallied 40 EFF until the high-schooler did.
As a matter of fact, in the past four editions of the competitions, only one more player has been able to record a game of over 40 EFF - Hsiao Yu Wen, who did it twice in 2022. The Chinese Taipei youngster totaled 48 EFF in a loss to Japan and 45 EFF in a win over New Zealand.
There's no wonder why the fans have been going to the Longhua Cultural and Sports Center to watch her play live, as they may just be witnessing Chinese hoops' next big thing.
In just her first two games with the national team, Zhang has been showing lots of potential, most especially after passing with flying colors what could be one of her early tests as she now ventures into the international basketball arena.
FIBA