SHENZHEN (China) - Zhang Ziyu wrote history as she powered China to a 97-81 decimation of Japan to sweep their way into the FIBA U18 Women's Asia Cup 2024 Semi-Finals at the Longhua Sports and Cultural Center, Wednesday night.
Buoyed by the ever-supportive home crowd that trooped to the venue, the 2.20 M sensation broke the tournament's all-time scoring record as she finished with 44 points, together with 14 rebounds, 5 assists, and a pair of steals.
She surpassed the 39 set by Chinese Taipei's Hsiao Yu Wen against Japan during the Group Phase of the 2022 competitions held in Bengaluru, India.
Zhang set the new record with a perfect trip to the line with 2:34 left to play, which also pushed their lead to 89-72 in one of their finishing touches to the triumph.
The 17-year-old missed just twice in the 22 shots she took from the field, and went 4-of-5 from the charity stripe in a performance that saw her net an efficiency of 59, easily the highest tallied in this year's meet - and may not be topped soon.
Big thanks to her, China not only entered the Semis but they also booked a slot in the FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup set next year in Czech Republic. They're joining Australia, who secured theirs earlier in the day after beating Chinese Taipei.
Game heroes: Others still helped out Zhang in beating their long-time rivals, with Li Yuqian supplying 15 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal, and a block.
Wang Jiaxin came through with her own double-double as she registered 11 points and 11 assists, which she also laced with 3 assists and a pair of steals.
Turning point: Zhang and Li joined hands in leading Team China's decisive run in the third quarter that put them in control all the way after a see-saw battle.
They sparked the 16-3 attack - capped by Chen Jing's layup off a strong drive to the cup - to build a 62-47 lead with 5:13 remaining in the said period.
The home team would even enjoy a lead as high as 22 points, 97-75, behind, well, Zhang, in the game's waning moments, and they would eventually deal Japan their first loss while they went on to clinch the no. 1 seed in Group B with a 3-0 card.
Stats don't lie: With Zhang's inside presence, China as a whole finished with an efficient 56.8-percent shooting from the field. A total of 8 players scored at least 4 points and that's because of the way they shared the ball, as they had 27 assists.
FIBA