Japan, China, New Zealand and Australia advance into semis in Mongolia

Japan - Taiwan 83-72
Japan raced past Taiwan in their quarterfinal clash. Japan trailed by a single point at the first break. But they ignited a 44-26 rally throughout the second and third periods to surge ahead for good. Keiji Koshi (163-PG-2009) accounted for 31 points, while Chusonjakku Shiratani (194-2009) had 16 points and 14 rebounds for Japan. Cheng-Yeh Chang (195-C-2009) responded with 27 points for Taiwan.

China - Bahrain 84-69
China held off Bahrain to advance into the semifinal stage in Mongolia. China recorded a 42-31 halftime advantage. They went on a 26-19 rally in the third term to clear off for good. Zhang Chunzhi (194-F-2009) tossed in 19 points and collected 11 rebounds, while Yuxiu Chen (185-G-2009) and Minghao Shi (183-PG-2009) contributed 12 points apiece for China. Hassan Abdulkadir (2009) replied with 29 points and 21 rebounds for Bahrain.

New Zealand - Iran 92-69
New Zealand fired past Iran in the quarterfinal clash today. The Kiwis recorded a 24-10 lead after ten minutes. New Zealand erupted for 46 points in the second half and breezed to the victory. Noah Duncan (196-F-2009) recorded 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Tawhiri Cate (188-G-2009) contributed 14 points for New Zealand. Alireza Rashidi (2009) replied with 23 points for Iran.

Australia - South Korea 98-70
Australia knocked down South Korea to secure the semifinal berth. Australia stayed red-hot offensively in the game. They poured in 48 points in the first half to gain an 11-point lead. Australia added 50 points in the second half to ease to the win. Luke Roland (190-G-2009) posted 21 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists for the Aussies. Seunghyeon Lee (190-G-2010) finished with 25 points and 8 rebounds for South Korea.