In a closely contested exhibition game on Wednesday, the Chinese men’s national basketball team was narrowly defeated by Spanish Liga ACB club Joventut Badalona with a final score of 70-65 in Quzhou, Zhejiang Province. The match marked China’s eighth consecutive loss, highlighting challenges the team hopes to overcome in upcoming games.
China started strong, seizing an early lead as Wang Lanqin sliced through Joventut’s defense for a layup, putting the hosts ahead 17-10 by the end of the first quarter. The momentum continued into the second quarter, with Hu Mingxuan connecting with Yang Hansen to keep China in control despite Joventut’s efforts to rally.
However, the tides began to turn in the third quarter. Trailing by five points, the home team’s Liao Sanning ignited the crowd with a steal and a powerful dunk, contributing to his game-high 16 points for China. Despite his efforts, Joventut Badalona persisted, gradually increasing their lead.
In the final quarter, Joventut’s Yannick Kraag made a significant impact, stealing the ball and delivering a soaring dunk to extend his team’s lead to 67-59. Kraag, a Dutch international, added another basket, pushing the visitors ahead by 10 points with less than two minutes remaining. He concluded the game with 11 points, helping secure Joventut Badalona’s victory by a five-point margin.
Reflecting on the game, China coach Guo Shiqiang identified key areas for improvement. “There are three reasons for this loss,” he stated. “The first is that we made four mistakes in the last three-and-a-half minutes, two on defense and the other two on offense. The second is that our concentration and ability to execute were poor in the closing minutes. The third is that our free throw percentage was only 60%, which is too low.”
Looking ahead, China aims to regroup and refine their strategy as they prepare to face Joventut Badalona again on Friday in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province. The team remains determined to break their losing streak and demonstrate resilience on their home court.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
