SHENZHEN (China) - China leaned on the towering presence of Zhang Ziyu in rolling past Indonesia, 109-50, to open their FIBA U18 Women's Asia Cup 2024 campaign on a high note, Monday night at the Longhua Cultural and Sports Center.
In her first gig with the national team, the 2.20 M (7'2") center brought immediate impact as she went a perfect 9-for-9 from the floor for 19 points, along with 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks - all in 13 minutes off the bench.
Brought in at the 4:19-mark of the first quarter, Zhang went on to score 6 points to help her side end the period ahead, 24-13, and stay ahead the rest of the way.
Eventually, she finished with the highest efficiency in the game with 31, thanks to her productive showing that left the home crowd beyond delighted.
Game heroes: Xu Peilin top-scored for Team China with 20 points on an unblemished 6-of-6 shooting from the field, together with 4 rebounds and 3 assists.
Li Yuqian made 14 points. Zhang Yifan had 13 points. Wang Jiaxin came through with 12 points, spiked by a pair of treys, and 10 assists while Zhang Ziyu added 11 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and a game-high-tying 5 assists in the conquest.
Turning point: The home team actually led by 18 early in the second period but the Indonesians fought back and cut the gap to only seven with under a minute to go.
Wang, though, delivered a triple so timely to re-establish their double-digit edge, 38-28, and their foes would never come close ever again. China poured 67 points in the second half alone while holding the opposition to only 22, including 9 in the fourth.
Stats don't lie: The Chinese shot 57.3-percent from the floor, thanks hugely to their 35 assists as a unit. Their size and length proved too much for their counterparts, too, as they ruled the boards, 54-27, and their ball-hawking led to 16 steals.
FIBA