China Defeats South Korea 61-54 in East Asia Championship

Kenta Hirose

Meng Duo had 14 points and 3 rebounds to lead China to a 61-54 victory over South Korea in the East Asian championship. China wins its group at 2-0 and will face Japan in the semi-finals while Korea will take on Chinese Taipei. China led 15-10 after one quarter and 28-25 at the half. It led 47-37 after three quarters.

Meng hit 3 of 6 two-point shots but missed his two three-point attempts. He hit all 8 of his free throws. But he did commit 5 turnovers. Still he is a leading candidate to make the final national team. Yi Li (203-F/G-85) had 11 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists and his versatility suggests he too has an edge in making the final roster. Su Wei played 27 minutes at center and Zhang Zhaoxu played 13. Su had 11 points, 12 rebounds and 2 blocks while Zhang had 5 points and 8 rebounds. Both should make the final roster backing up Wang Zhizhi.

Zhang Bo returned to the lineup with 6 points and 3 rebounds in 28 minutes and also looks good for a roster spot. While Zhang returned from his one-game suspension, Sun Yue did not appear. Sun's roster spot is guaranteed. Mo Ke had 6 points and 9 rebounds in 27 minutes but missed all 6 of his three-point attempts. Yu Shulong had 5 points in 25 minutes and only hit 2 of 7 shots. China played excellent defense and Korea, normally a great-shooting team, only made 1 of 18 three-point shots. But China only hit 3 of 16 of its three-pointers.