China lock down the Philippines to secure third place

DOHA (Qatar) - In a rematch of the opening game of the FIBA U16 Asian Championship 2023 for both teams, China prevailed again to secure third place, 87-59.

China's defense was the key factor in this game, specifically during a 24-3 run spanning over 7 minutes from the end of the first half to early in the third quarter. They allowed only one field goal during that stretch and limited the Philippines to only 31.4 percent shooting throughout the entire game.

Their offense was locked in as well, shooting 42.3 percent from beyond the three-point line for 11 three-pointers.

The Philippines were down by only 3 points in the second quarter after two consecutive three-point shots made by Iris Chua but couldn't find a way to consistently put points up on the board on their end. Joaquin Ludovice led the way for the Philippines with 15 points.

China keep their streak alive of making the podium in all of their U16 Asian Championship appearances, now with six in total.

Standout Players: The offense-defense tandem of Boyuan Zhang and Sinan Huan proved to be China's strong suit from start to finish.

Zhang finished the game with his highest single-game point total in this competition with 34 points on 12-17 shooting. More impressively, he knocked down 7 three-point shots - tying the record for most three-point shots made in a single game with the fewest attempts of 9 in total.

Huan had his most complete game yet with 5 blocks and 11 rebounds while also recording 14 points on 6-7 shooting and 4 assists.

Turning Point: Towards the end of the first half, Wenwei He broke down the defense and lobbed an alley-oop for Huan to finish with authority. China had already built a 15-point lead at that point, but it felt like the momentum where they were comfortable with their pace on both ends of the floor.

Stats Don't Lie: China were efficient in generating points off turnovers. They scored 16 points off turnovers, but considering the Philippines managed only 12 turnovers in the game, that is not a bad output.

 FIBA