- Chinese men’s basketball team beats Iran to end World Cup preliminaries
- 2023-02-27 11:01:40.0 Source: Xinhuanet
Author: Wei Hua
The Chinese men’s basketball team defeated the Iranian team 86:74 at the Tsuen Wan Stadium in Hong Kong on the 26th, ending the journey of the 2023 Men’s Basketball World Cup Asia-region qualifiers with a victory.
After the first five World Cup preliminaries window periods, the Chinese men’s basketball team has qualified for the World Cup ahead of schedule. In the first game of the sixth window period that started on the 23rd, the Chinese team defeated the visiting Kazakhstan team 71:59, and the team’s new coach Djordjevic made a “good start” in his debut.
In this campaign, Djordjevic made adjustments to the team lineup. Wang Zhelin, Guo Ailun, Hu Mingxuan, and Zhu Junlong did not enter the list of 12 players. Zeng Fanbo and Hu Jinqiu, who were absent from the previous game, were called up. Zhao Jiwei, Cui Yongxi, Zhou Peng, Zhang Zhenlin and Zhou Qi formed the team “Starting Five Tigers”.
The first half of the game was relatively stalemate, and the Chinese team took a 6-0 lead at the beginning. Since then, the Iranian team gradually narrowed the point difference relying on stable free throws and shooting ability, and led 48:45 at the end of halftime.
After changing sides to fight once more, the Iranian team’s offensive efficiency dropped, scoring only 10 points in the third quarter, and the Chinese team entered the final quarter with a 3-point advantage. In the last quarter, the Chinese team blossomed inside and outside. Wu Qian and Zhao Jiwei hit three-pointers many times. The single quarter was 25:16, and the Chinese team sealed the victory.
In this game, all 12 members of the Chinese team scored. Among them, Wu Qian made 3 of 5 three-pointers and scored a team-high 18 points. Zhao Jiwei contributed 12 points and 8 assists. Iran’s Yahachali scored a game-high 28 points.
In this world preliminaries, the Chinese team achieved a record of 10 wins and 2 losses in 12 games, and finally ranked second in the group. The 2023 Men’s Basketball World Cup will be held in Japan, the Philippines and Indonesia from August to September this year.