HANGZHOU, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) — Zhang Zhenlin scored 19 factors as China’s males’s basketball workforce kicked off its Asiad journey by thrashing Mongolia 89-50 in a Group B match right here on Tuesday.
The sport did not observe the “written script” as anticipated, as world No. 100 Mongolia gave world No. 29 China an embarrassing first quarter — after bench heart Wang threw himself to dam Mongolia’s layup, Chinese gamers saved their blushes by main only one level to finish the quarter.
China then awoke, permitting Mongolia solely 9 factors within the second quarter to wrap up the primary half 44-28. Forward Cui Yongxi made two 3-pointers originally of the third quarter, adopted by Zhejiang-based heart Hu Jinqiu’s consecutive paint factors, China quickly enlarged its result in 30-plus, turning the sport into an early blowout.
Following an attention grabbing FIBA World Cup, guard Zhao Rui stepped out to take seven of China’s first 9 factors and completed with 10 factors, but additionally had six turnovers. Team captain Zhao Jiwei went by means of a hapless 40-minute and did not rating till nailing a 3-pointer jumper within the third quarter.
Zhang, who lit up the sector with a few highly effective dunks, led China with 19 factors and 9 rebounds, and Cui added 16 factors and three assists.
“For this Chinese team, I think we are lacking international games experience, and we have to trust each other, to trust our coaching crew, and go all out in every game to return the fans’ favor,” Zhang stated after sport, including “I have been to Hangzhou a couple of times to compete in domestic league finals, but this time is different since I jersey up to fight for my country.”
Days in the past, workforce gamers acquired a letter from Chinese basketball legend Liu Yudong nicknamed “warlord”, urging them to play with tenacity.
Mongolia dispatched a younger squad with a median age of 21.8, together with facilities 18-year-old Azbayar Altangerel and 19-year-old Binderiya Sandagdorj who had earlier expertise in 3×3 basketball, and the workforce had 17 turnovers and solely shot 17% behind the arc.
Odgerel Tulga scored a team-high eight factors for Mongolia, and Bolor-Erdene Gantsolmon added seven.
In different matches on Tuesday, Iran beat the United Arab Emirates 81-57, Saudi Arabia defeated Kazakhstan 86-62, the Philippines whipped Bahrain 89-61, Jordan thrashed Thailand 97-63, South Korea smashed Indonesia 95-55, Japan trounced Qatar 95-63, and Chinese Taipei outperformed Hong Kong, China 81-62.
“The first game is always full of tension, and we didn’t open up the game perfectly, but once we found a way to move the ball and play with our depths and bigs, we found some open shots and good runs,” stated China’s head coach Aleksandar Djordjevic, addressing its troublesome first quarter.
Djordjevic stated the workforce’s purpose of successful the gold remained unchanged. “First of all, we have to prepare ourselves the next game, which is the most important one (in the group phase) with Chinese Taipei. We are going to watch all the opponents, we try to be ready when confronting them. And the goal is going all the way to win the gold medal,” Djordjevic stated at post-game press convention.
China will conflict with Chinese Taipei on September 28.