China one step away from the title after sinking Korea in Semi-Finals

AMMAN (Jordan) - China soared into the Final of the FIBA Women's Asia Cup 2021 with a devastating performance against Korea which returned a stunning 93-69 success.

Chasing their first title in a decade, they are now one victory away from completing their mission in Jordan and based on this evidence, they are going to be tough to stop after delighting their fans with a top gear display.

Turning point: Quite simply, there wasn't one. China jumped out on Korea right from the tip-off and imposed their will early on their opponents. Turning up the tempo to the maximum level, they ran Korea off the floor and made all their buckets either in transition or in the post. Despite not even making a three-pointer, they accumulated a 23-9 advantage and never had cause to look back as they coasted to victory.

Game heroes: Perhaps stung by her slight downgrade in the tournament Player Rankings, Yueri Li was amazing. She completed a double-double of 20 points and 12 rebounds. Sijin Huang also posted another excellent game with 16 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists.

Stats don't lie: At half-time, China has out-rebounded Korea by an eye-watering 32-10 and that was the story of the game. Also, China finished with 31 assists, which showcased their teamwork and depth. 

Bottom line: This was a nightmare for Korea. They never got started and were caught sleeping by China who were dominant from the first second. Head coach Jung Sun-Min opted not to play the in-form Isaem Choi and Heji An until the second quarter and by then, her team were already down 20 points. They couldn't compete physically, couldn't run or execute consistently and it was a game they must forget quickly if they want to react and finish on a high with a bronze medal. As for China, this is exactly why they were placed at the top of the latest tournament Power Rankings. They have all the ingredients to go all the way to the top podium step.

They said: "Today we played three and a half quarters of good basketball. We mostly executed everything defensively. This game was based on what we did. You could see our confidence. We offered no hope at all to Korea. In the last quarter we gave opportunities to our bench and to help some of our other players to grow in this type of game. " China head coach, Limin Xu

"As expected, China are a very good and tall team and they took advantage on the rebounds. All of our players played their best until the last minute. Despite losing, I still saw some positive things in our basketball in this game," Korea head coach, Sun-Min Jung

FIBA