7 shots, 11 points! Pang Zhenglin's stellar debut! Chinese men's basketball team advances from group stage

A do-or-die match: win and advance, lose and go home, completely missing out on the 2027 World Cup finals.

Fortunately, the Chinese men's basketball team was not affected by their 19-point loss to Japan in the first game of the third window of the World Cup qualifiers. In the second game, they firmly suppressed the Chinese Taipei team with a 54-28 lead at halftime.

In the first half, the Chinese men's basketball team rotated 11 players, and almost all of them scored. Except for Xu Xin, every player took the court. Notably, CBA rookie Pang Zhenglin, making his national team debut, performed impressively, scoring 7 points in just five minutes by breaking through the opponent's defense both inside and outside.

It is worth mentioning that the Chinese men's basketball team's three-point shooting in the first half was better than that of the Chinese Taipei team—14 of 5 compared to 14 of 4. In terms of interior offense, rim protection, and rebounding, the Chinese Taipei team (10 rebounds) naturally could not match the Chinese men's basketball team (25 rebounds), leading to the large deficit mentioned above.

By the way, does the current Chinese men's basketball team struggle to play well at home due to excessive pressure, only to unleash their strengths on the road? This might be a drawback of a young team (average age 25.5).

In the third quarter, the Chinese men's basketball team's offensive momentum declined somewhat, while the Chinese Taipei team, relying on their backcourt duo Chen Yingjun and Lin Tingqian, managed a 20-18 quarter, but still entered the final quarter with a 24-point deficit.

In the fourth quarter, the Chinese Taipei team continued to mount a strong comeback, but failed to produce any scoring runs, and small-scale efforts could not change the overall situation.

Ultimately, the Chinese men's basketball team defeated the Chinese Taipei team 92-74 on neutral ground (South Korea), keeping their hopes alive for qualifying for the World Cup.

Chinese men's basketball team statistics:

Five players scored in double figures: Zhao Jiwei 17 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals; Hu Jinqiu 13 points, 6 rebounds; Li Hongquan 17 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists; Pang Zhenglin 11 points; Yang Hansen 10 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block—filling the stat sheet again.

Chinese Taipei team statistics:

Only three players scored in double digits, the familiar trio: Chen Yingjun 19 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists; Lin Tingqian 28 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals; Gao Baikai 13 points, 10 rebounds.