By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Digging its way out of a ten-point hole and pulling away in the second half, China navigated a poor finish to secure the key win, 83-76, versus Angola in Smart Araneta Coliseum Thursday.
Restricted to a limited role in the first round, Hu Jinqiu covering for center Wang Zhelin delivered a dominating performance in the paint with a game-high 20 points behind 8/10 two-pointers. Kyle Anderson threw in 17 points, seven rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block. Besides Zhelin, captain Zhou Peng was also out for the team coached by Sasha Djordjevic.
Carrying a 0-3 record from the preliminary round of the 2023 FIBA World Cup, matching Angola at 1-3 massively improves the situation in Group M for Team Dragon. With all Asian teams settling for classification games, the top-ranked team of the continent across the four groups will qualify directly for the Olympic Games.
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The same applies to the team guided by Josep Claros via Africa, but failing to hold on to the early lead against China did not help. Bruno Fernando finished with 16 points in the losing effort. Childe Dundao paired his 17 points with eight assists en route to a game-high efficiency rating of 25.
South Sudan keeps the Philippines winless
Leading from start to finish, South Sudan ended up with an 87-68 victory versus the hosting Philippines and improved to 2-2, leading the race of national teams in Africa for the direct ticket to Paris.
Overcoming a sluggish start, explosive Carlik Jones posted a 17-point, 14-assist double-double to go with nine rebounds and two steals, Nearing a triple-double, he helped keep his country in a commanding position in Quezon City.
Also in double-double mode, Wenyen Gabriel paired 11 points with 12 rebounds. Majok Deng and Nuni Omot chipped in 13 points each.
Jordan Clarkson stood out with 24 points for the team coached by Chot Reyes falling to 0-4. Dwight Ramos followed with 20 points.
Photo Credit: FIBA.BASKETBALL