FIBA Asia Cup 2025: China routs Indonesia 110-59 in FIBA Women's Asia Cup

All 12 players scored as China opened its 2025 FIBA Women's Asia Cup campaign with a dominant 110-59 victory over Indonesia on Sunday. Despite a few early hiccups from China's revamped starting lineup, the defending champion quickly found its rhythm. Effective ball movement set up center Xu Han (208-C-1999), whose height and court vision translated into several scoring plays. Indonesia, meanwhile, struggled offensively. After Kim Pierre-Louis (183-F-1993, college: UMass) hit an opening jumper, the team went scoreless for a prolonged stretch until Faizzatus Shoimah (175-G/F-2000) knocked down a three-pointer. China's 18-year-old prodigy Ziyu Zhang (223-C-2007) entered the game with six and a half minutes left in the first quarter. The 226cm center quickly imposed her presence on both ends of the floor, helping China close the first half with a commanding 49-20 lead. After the break, China continued to execute smoothly, with several plays designed to get the ball to Zhang, who proved nearly unstoppable near the basket. Guard Yang Shuyu (182-F-2002) also impressed in the third quarter, frequently attacking the rim and energizing China's offense. The game turned into a blowout as China extended the lead to 47 points heading into the final period. Seven Chinese players finished in double figures, with Yang Liwei (175-PG-1995), Luo Xinyu (187-F-2001) and Ziyu Zhang each contributing a team-high 13 points. Han added 12 points and six rebounds in just 17 minutes of action. Indonesia's Pierre-Louis led all scorers with 16 points. China assembled a 28-player training camp in mid-April, featuring several new faces. The squad played six warm-up games from late June to early July against top Asian opponents, including Australia and Japan, finishing with a 5-1 record ahead of the tournament in Shenzhen. Concerns had been raised about China's strength following the withdrawal of star guard Meng Li (185-F-1995) with injury in June, and the absence of key center Li Yueru (201-C-1999), who currently plays in the WNBA with the Dallas Wings. However, the emergence of Ziyu Zhang, making her senior national team debut, provided a timely boost. Head coach Gong Luming gave her 11 minutes and 36 seconds off the bench, during which the reigning FIBA U18 Women's Asia Cup MVP tallied 13 points, four rebounds and two assists. "She has a unique talent, but this first tournament will be a challenge. She still needs more games and time to adapt to FIBA basketball," Gong said of the rising star. The coach described the team's performance as "okay" for its tournament opener, noting that he was using the game to test different lineups and help newcomers adjust to the pace of international play. "The rotations and tactics we tried tonight weren't aimed at any specific opponent - we're focusing on ourselves first," Gong added.
Courtesy of: news.cn