On June 29, Beijing time, in the semifinals of the 2024 U18 Women's Basketball Asian Cup, the Chinese women's basketball team played against the South Korean women's basketball team. The Chinese women's basketball team won the first place in the group stage, had a longer rest time, and had an advantage in physical fitness. In the end, the Chinese team defeated South Korea 79-61 and advanced to the final.
The starting lineup of the Chinese women's basketball team is: Xu Fengwei, Wang Jiaxin, Li Yuwei, Zhang Ziyue, Zhang Ziyu; The starting lineup of the Korean women's basketball team is: Choi Ye-seok, Lee Min-ji, Lee Won-jeong, Song Yoon-ha, Jung Hyun.
At the beginning of the game, Zhang Ziyu scored inside, and the South Korean team hit a three-point shot from the outside, and the two sides opened the game 6-6. Subsequently, Wang Jiaxin hit a three-point shot, Xu Fengwei scored a layup, and the Chinese team gradually opened the score. Jang Ziyu performed well on the inside, scoring consecutive points, and the South Korean team relied on outside three-pointers to chase points. At the end of the first quarter, the Chinese team led 26-21.
In the second quarter, after Zhang Ziyu got off the court, the South Korean team made a breakthrough inside, but Xu Peilin hit two free throws to maintain the lead. Zheng Xuan chased down a three-point shot, Zhang Ziyu returned to the court to score again, and the Chinese team extended its lead. At halftime, the Chinese team led 45-24, and Zhang Ziyu contributed 24 points and 11 rebounds in the half.
In the second half, Jang Ziyu continued to dominate the inside, and the South Korean team responded with three points from the outside, but was unable to catch up. Chen Jing scored a free throw, Zhang Ziyu scored a second attack, and the Chinese team once led by 30 points. At the end of the third quarter, the Chinese team led 61-35, and Zhang Ziyu contributed 30 points and 16 rebounds.
In the final quarter, the South Korean team tried to counterattack and took advantage of the mistakes of the Chinese team to score consecutive points, but Zhang Ziyu assisted his teammates to score easily and continued to expand the advantage. In the end, the Chinese team defeated South Korea 79-61 and advanced to the final. Zhang Ziyu dominated the whole court, slashing 34 points and 16 rebounds, becoming the key to the team's victory.
In the other semi-final, Australia defeated Japan 68-63. Australia led by seven points in the first quarter, but Japan led by two points in the second quarter. In the second half, the two sides were locked in a stalemate, and in the end, the Australian team won strongly with physical advantage and inside.
Japan shot 7-of-32 three-pointers, a 22 percent shooting percentage, while Australia shot just 1-of-7 from three-point range. Although Japan was more technically delicate, Australia won the game with a stronger body and a taller inside.
The Chinese women's basketball team will face Australia in the final to compete for the U18 women's basketball Asian Cup championship.
The Chinese women's basketball team showed all-round strength in the semifinals, especially Zhang Ziyu's internal dominance and teamwork spirit. Players such as Xu Fengwei and Wang Jiaxin also contributed important points at key moments.
The strength of the Chinese team lies in the diversity of their attack and the intensity of their defense. Against Australia, the Chinese team will need to maintain a high-intensity defense while continuing to play on Zhang Ziyu's inside advantage on the offensive end to win the final.
The Australian team showed strong defensive and counter-attacking ability in the semi-finals. Despite their poor three-point shooting percentage, they excelled in interior scoring and rebounding control.
In the final, the Aussies will likely continue to use their physical superiority to stifle China's attacks while looking for scoring opportunities on the counter-attack. The Chinese team needs to be wary of Australia's quick counter-attacks and rebounding scrambles to prevent their opponents from taking advantage of these opportunities to pull away the score.
The final of the Chinese women's basketball team and the Australian women's basketball team will be a wonderful matchup. Both teams have shown great strength and resilience, and the final will depend on which team can capitalise on their chances at crunch time.
China will need to continue to play with their attacking diversity and defensive intensity, while Australia will need to take advantage of their physical superiority and counter-attacking ability. Regardless of the final result, this final will be a high-level game that showcases the highest level of Asian women's basketball.
Although the Chinese women's basketball team showed an overwhelming advantage in the semifinals, the outcome of the game against a physically strong and defensive Australia team in the final is still uncertain. The Chinese team needs to be fully prepared mentally to avoid being affected by the physical confrontation of the opponent.
In the final, the referee's penalty standard and the rhythm control of the game will also become an important factor affecting the outcome of the game. Regardless of the final result, the performance of the Chinese women's basketball team in this U18 Asian Cup has already shown their strong strength and future potential.