JEDDAH (Saudi Arabia) – Zhao Rui delivered a masterclass with 24 points and five triples to guide China past New Zealand, 98-84, in the Semi-Finals of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 on Saturday at the King Abdullah Sports City.
The veteran guard set the tone in a high-stakes clash between two unbeaten sides, helping China secure their first appearance in the FIBA Asia Cup Final in a decade and improving their record to 5-0. The Tall Blacks, meanwhile, saw their inspired run halted, finishing the tournament at 4-1.
Team captatin Zhao was lethal from deep and steady at the line, adding 6 assists to his stat-line. 20-year-old Wang Junjie backed him with 14 points, 6 rebounds and two triples, while Hu Jinqiu anchored the paint with 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting alongside 8 boards.
“We have a lot of veterans unable to play here because of injuries, but the most important thing we’ve shown is we always stick together, show our fighting spirit and play unselfish on the court,” said China coach Guo Shiqiang. “We are a young team with nine players playing in a major tournament for the first time, but there’s an old saying in China, ‘Youth breeds legends.’ In this case, I don’t want our players to think we are just young, but that we are full of energy. We should welcome all the challenges and try to win.”
For New Zealand, Taylor Britt paced the attack with 21 points and 6 assists, while Mojave King kept them in the fight with 19 points, four triples and three steals.
China seized early control by closing the first quarter on an 8-0 run sparked by Zhao’s back-to-back threes and Hu Mingxuan’s driving finish for a 28-19 lead. The Tall Blacks refused to fold, clawing back from an 11-point hole in the second frame. Carlin Davison’s triple ignited the charge, and a late 9-0 spurt from Tohi Smith-Milner, Flynn Cameron and Jordan Ngatai cut the halftime gap to 42-40.
The third quarter turned into a back-and-forth slugfest. New Zealand briefly went ahead behind King’s three and Cameron’s and-one, but Hu Jinqiu’s interior scoring and Zhao’s timely jumper kept China in front. Wang’s triple and Yu Jiahao’s putback extended the lead to seven before King answered from deep and Smith-Milner beat the buzzer to make it 68-66 heading to the final period.
China’s composure shone through in the fourth. Yu and Liao Sanning attacked the rim to push the margin back to seven, before Zhao buried a dagger triple and calmly sank free throws to keep the Tall Blacks at bay. King trimmed it to five with two minutes left, but Liao’s turnaround and Zhao’s late clock-beating three sealed the deal.
Liao Sanning (CHN)
The victory returns China to the FIBA Asia Cup Final for the first time since winning the title in 2015. New Zealand, on the other hand, fall short of the title game for the third straight edition but can still salvage third-place.
“It was a good battle. We hung in there. We had some great looks,” said New Zealand coach Judd Flavell. “China in the fourth quarter, they were pretty relentless on the glass and shot the ball well. At the end of the day, they made the shots that they needed. We’ll learn from it. We have a young group. Now, we have to come out tomorrow, shake this off and finish the tournament strong.”
China will now face the winner of the other Semi-Final in Sunday’s championship game, looking to complete an unbeaten run and bring the FIBA Asia Cup trophy back to their cabinet after a decade.
“It is the first time for us in the Final since 10 years ago,” said coach Guo. “We represent the nation to showcase Chinese basketball spirit, and as everyone knows, we are trying to help the national team rise up.”
FIBA