Reversal! Zhu Junlong's 19 points and injury exit, Zhao Jiwei fouled out as Chinese men's basketball narrowly defeats Chinese Taipei in World Cup qualifier.

At 16:00 Beijing time on March 1, in the fourth round of Group B of the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian qualifiers, the Chinese team staged a comeback to defeat the Chinese Taipei team 100-93 away, securing two consecutive group stage wins.

Zhu Junlong

Technical Statistics

China: Zhu Junlong 19 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast; Hu Jinqiu 15 pts, 6 reb, 1 ast; Zhao Jiwei 13 pts, 3 reb, 2 ast; Zhao Rui 12 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast; He Xining 10 pts, 1 reb, 1 ast; Li Hongquan 9 pts, 11 reb; Yu Jiahao 9 pts, 6 reb; Liao Sanning 8 pts, 2 reb, 3 ast; Gao Shiyan 3 pts, 2 reb, 1 ast; Zhang Zhenlin 2 pts; Wang Haoran 1 reb; Jiao Boqiao 1 reb.

Chinese Taipei: Chen Yingjun 26 pts, 3 reb, 4 ast; Lin Tingqian 22 pts, 1 reb, 3 ast; Gao Bokai 19 pts, 11 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl, 3 blk; Lu Junxiang 15 pts, 8 reb, 1 ast; Liu Zheng 10 pts, 2 reb, 1 ast, 2 blk; Raymond En 1 pt, 1 reb, 1 ast; Zeng Xiangjun 3 reb, 2 ast.

Game Recap

In the first quarter, Gao Bokai's floater gave Chinese Taipei the first two points, and Hu Jinqiu's cut and layup tied the score. The two teams exchanged blows, with the lead changing hands multiple times and the score tied repeatedly. Hu Jinqiu and Gao Bokai accounted for most of their respective teams' points. After a 12-12 tie, Zhao Jiwei hit a pull-up three-pointer from the top of the arc, forcing a timeout for Chinese Taipei. After the timeout, Zhao Jiwei hit another three, extending China's lead. Gao Bokai remained the primary scorer for Chinese Taipei, while CBA players Chen Yingjun and Lin Tingqian also contributed points. China had balanced scoring, and with Zhu Junlong hitting a buzzer-beating three-pointer, China led 27-22 at the end of the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Li Hongquan and Liao Sanning went to the free-throw line successively. Gao Bokai used his individual ability to complete a three-point play. Chen Yingjun scored on consecutive drives, bringing Chinese Taipei within 29-32, prompting a timeout for China. After the timeout, He Xining and Chen Yingjun traded three-pointers. Following another three-pointer by Lu Junxiang and Raymond En making one of two free throws, Chinese Taipei took the lead at 35-35. Hu Jinqiu and Zhu Junlong combined for inside and outside scoring, as China scored four straight points to regain the lead. Lu Junxiang and Liu Zheng scored on fast-break layups, tying the game again at 40-40. The game remained tight thereafter, with ties at 45-45 and 47-47. After Yu Jiahao's put-back and foul resulted in a three-point play, Liu Zheng hit a difficult, deep three-pointer from the left wing, giving Chinese Taipei a 51-50 lead at halftime.

In the third quarter, Zhao Rui hit a three-pointer from the right wing, putting China back in front. Gao Bokai slammed home a one-handed dunk, followed by Chen Yingjun and Lin Tingqian hitting back-to-back threes, as Chinese Taipei went on an 8-0 run to take the lead, forcing a timeout for China. After the timeout, Zhu Junlong and Gao Shiyan hit consecutive threes, narrowing China's deficit to one point. After Lin Tingqian's driving layup, Chen Yingjun stole the ball from Zhao Jiwei and scored on a fast-break layup plus a foul, extending Chinese Taipei's lead to 65-59, a six-point advantage again. Zhao Rui hit a three-pointer to stop the bleeding, but Lin Tingqian and Chen Yingjun combined for a 7-0 run, pushing Chinese Taipei's lead to double digits at 77-66. Zhu Junlong hit a crucial three-pointer, and Liao Sanning made a buzzer-beating layup, leaving China trailing 71-77 at the end of the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Li Hongquan's put-back gave China the first two points. Chen Yingjun and Lin Tingqian scored four straight points, extending the lead back to eight. Hu Jinqiu scored via shots and free throws to close the gap, forcing a timeout for Chinese Taipei. After the timeout, Hu Jinqiu continued drawing fouls and going to the line. Zhu Junlong hit his fifth three-pointer of the game, bringing China within 82-86. Lu Junxiang tripped Zhu Junlong for a foul; after review, the officials did not upgrade it to an unsportsmanlike foul. Zhu Junlong left the court due to leg discomfort, and Li Hongquan substituted to make both free throws, leaving China trailing 86-89. Li Hongquan then powered up for a layup and drew a foul, but missed the additional free throw, leaving China down by just one point.

After Gao Bokai's layup, Zhao Jiwei hit a deep three-pointer, tying the game at 91-91. However, he later fouled Chen Yingjun and fouled out with five fouls. Zhao Rui drew a foul on Lin Tingqian beyond the three-point line and made two of three free throws, giving China a 95-93 lead. With 16.8 seconds left, Hu Jinqiu went to the free-throw line twice in a row, extending China's lead to 98-93, prompting a timeout for Chinese Taipei. With 6.9 seconds left, Zhao Rui was also fouled and made both free throws. Ultimately, China completed another major comeback, defeating Chinese Taipei 100-93.

Starting Lineups

China: Wang Haoran, Zhu Junlong, He Xining, Zhao Rui, Hu Jinqiu

Chinese Taipei: Lin Tingqian, Liu Zheng, Chen Yingjun, Raymond En, Gao Bokai