China defeats New Zealand to reach FIBA Asia Cup final

JEDDAH, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- China marched into the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup final after beating New Zealand 98-84 in Saturday's semifinal, moving within one victory of retaking the event title for the first time in ten years.

China took its 16th Asian title on home court in 2015, but failed to make into the last four in either the 2017 or 2022 tournaments.

Both teams entered the semifinal with perfect 4-0 record. In the quarterfinals, China struggled to beat arch-rival South Korea 79-71, while New Zealand erased a 22-point deficit to defeat Lebanon.

The two teams were tied at 19-19 in the first quarter, and China delivered a 9-0 run to finish the period 28-19. China was leading by 11 points in the second quarter, only to see New Zealand trim the gap to two by the end of the first half.

China managed to keep the narrow advantage in the second half. Mojave Jackson King's three-pointer helped New Zealand cut the deficit to five with just over two minutes left, but China sealed the victory after straight shots from Zhao Rui and Liao Sanning.

Five Chinese players scored double digits. Zhao Rui knocked down five out of his eight attempts beyond the arc, topping the game with 24 points. Wang Junjie added 14. Star center Hu Jinqiu took home 12 points and eight rebounds.

Chinese shooters did a good job on three-point shooting, converting 46.15 percent of the attempts beyond the arc to points. At the same time, China out-rebounded their opponent 36-27.

"There is more than enough energy in our team," said Zhao Rui after the game.

"We need different man to stand out to help the team."

China with face the winner between Australia and Iran in the final on Sunday. ■