JEDDAH, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) — China’s men’s basketball team edged South Korea 79-71 to reach the FIBA Asia Cup semifinals here on Thursday.
Hu Jinqiu had a game-high 23 points and 11 rebounds. Wang Junjie finished with 21 points. Zhao Rui and Zhu Junlong added nine points apiece.
Lee Hyunjung led South Korea with 22 points, followed by 15 from Ha Yungi.
“Sorry about my left leg cramping in Q4, but thrilled with the team win. We shut down their key player, and I hope we take the title in the end,” Wang said after the game.
“We gave it our all on the court this game. We hope to leave nothing on the court with no regrets. It meant the world to hear the roaring cheers from Chinese fans in the stands,” Hu added.
Wang made a three pointer with 38 seconds left in the second quarter as China took the lead on 46-35 at the break. China increased the lead to 18 points in the third quarter before South Korea cut the deficit to six points with 51 seconds remaining in the final period. Liao Sanning answered with a step back jumper with 31 seconds left to help China seal the victory. ■