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Han Xu's Late Three Sends China Past Puerto Rico 75-72 Into World Cup Quarterfinals
欧
欧亚时报编辑部·4m ago·~ 5 min readChina's women's basketball team edged Puerto Rico 75-72 at the FIBA Women's World Cup in Berlin on a late three-pointer from Han Xu, advancing to the quarterfinals to face France.
At the FIBA Women's World Cup qualifying playoff in Berlin, Germany on September 9, China's women's national basketball team edged Puerto Rico 75-72 in a closely fought contest to reach the quarterfinals. The game saw the lead change hands 22 times before China sealed the win with a decisive late three-pointer from Han Xu, narrowly eliminating Puerto Rico and setting up a quarterfinal matchup against France.
Box-score figures show center Han Xu led all scorers with 21 points and pulled down 11 rebounds, the standout performer in China's win, while guard Yang Shuyu added 15 points and fellow frontcourt player Zhang Ziyu contributed 13, the trio powering China's offense. For Puerto Rico, guard Pamela Rosado tied the game at 66-66 with a driving layup with 3:38 remaining, briefly putting the outcome in doubt, but China steadied in the decisive stretch as Han Xu drained a step-back three-pointer 42 seconds later to put China ahead for good at 69-66, holding on to close out the win.
Following the win, China will face France in the quarterfinals, a step up in difficulty. In another game the same day, Australia staged a remarkable comeback from a 26-point deficit to beat Italy and also reach the quarterfinals, joining China among this World Cup's final eight. China remains one of the more consistent Asian teams in this tournament, with its group-stage performances laying the groundwork for this quarterfinal run.
China was drawn into Group D this World Cup alongside the United States, its opponent in the 2022 final, and advanced with a 2-1 group-stage record before beating Puerto Rico in the knockout playoff to secure its quarterfinal berth. A particular focus of outside attention on this roster is 19-year-old center Zhang Ziyu, who at 2.2 meters (7'3") is taller than every player in WNBA history, including previous record-holder Margo Dydek; China's head coach has called her "a once-in-a-generation talent, not just for our country but for the world." Overall, the roster is led in scoring by Han Xu, averaging 17.3 points and 11.3 rebounds per game, with Yang Shuyu contributing 12.3 points and 4.0 assists, Zhang Ziyu adding 9.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocks, and Luo Xinyu chipping in 10.7 points per game — a balanced scoring attack that has been key to the team's steady advance through a field of strong contenders.
