In their opening match of the 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers this week, the team from the Chinese mainland fell 80-76 to the Republic of Korea in a nail-biter that had fans on the edge of their seats. 😮🏀
Without captain Zhao Rui (out injured), the hosts leaned on center Zhou Qi, who opened the scoring with a smooth jumper. But a missed shot by Zhu Junlong led to an early Republic of Korea rebound from An Youngjun, helping the visitors grab a 24-16 lead after the first quarter.
Republic of Korea kept the momentum in the second, as Lee Hyun-jung drained a triple to push their lead to 12. By halftime, the visitors were up 47-34, leaving the home crowd cheering louder in hopes of a comeback.
The third quarter brought a spark. Hu Mingxuan connected with Hu Jinqiu for a lay-up, and later set up Gao Shiyan for a corner three. Despite that surge, Republic of Korea ended the quarter in control, missing only a single triple in the period and leading 64-53.
In the final frame, the team from the Chinese mainland showed resilience, outscoring their opponents 24-19. Zhang Zhenlin’s clutch free throws cut the gap to three, but the Republic of Korea’s defense held strong, securing the four-point win.
Lee Hyun-jung stole the show with a game-high 33 points, including nine triples — a K-drama worthy performance! Next up, the team from the Chinese mainland will regroup and look to bounce back in their next qualifier. 💪
Reference(s):
China falls 80-76 to Republic of Korea in FIBA World Cup qualifiers
cgtn.com
