Guancha article: https://www.guancha.cn/sports/2023_08_05_704114.shtml
Chinese female basketball should never be underestimated!
The chinese - japanese female basketball rivalry continues, this time with an end similar to the Asian championship with China beating Japan in single digit.Following the Women's Basketball Asian Cup, the China-Japan duel was staged again in the Chengdu Universiade.
On the evening of August 5th, in the Chengdu Universiade women's basketball final, the Chinese college women's basketball team defeated the Japanese team 99-91 and won the Universiade women's basketball championship.
Against Japan, Han Xu warmed up early
In the Universiade, the Chinese and Japanese women's basketball team continued to demonstrate their strong strength.
The promotion of the two teams did not encounter too many obstacles. In the group stage, the Chinese college women's basketball team had a 43-point margin over their opponents, while the Japanese college women's basketball team had a 49-point margin. Compared with the stable performance in the group stage, in the knockout stage, the two teams have further improved their status.
The Chinese college women's basketball team first defeated Brazil 84-64, and then beat Chinese Taipei 83-61 in the semifinals. In the two games, the Chinese college women's basketball team widened the point difference to 20 points. The Japanese college women's basketball team also won by a big score. They first defeated the Czech Republic 88-63, and then defeated Finland 69-56.
Similar to the Japanese women's national team, the Japanese college women's basketball team also adheres to the "small and fast" style of play. The tallest player in the team is only 1.85 meters, but the outside three-pointer is quite accurate. Against Argentina, the Japanese college women's basketball team made 15 three-pointers with a 45% shooting rate; against the Czech Republic, they made 11 three-pointers with a 44% shooting rate.
After defeating the Chinese Taipei team, Han Xu said: "The characteristics of the Japanese team are mainly small and fast, and the three-pointer will be very accurate. We will solve the problem according to their characteristics." Before the final, she averaged 19.5 points per game. 8 Rebounds, shooting as high as 63.5%.
The Chinese college women's basketball team attaches great importance to this game, which can be seen from the playing time - one hour and forty-five minutes before the start of the game, Han Xu went to the court alone to practice hooks, and the venue was still undergoing lighting and sound adjustments at that time. Fifteen minutes later, other members of the women's basketball team also appeared on the field to warm up.
Tang Ziting + Liu Yutong, surprise soldiers constantly
In this final, the starting lineup of the Chinese team remains unchanged, with Han Xu, Zhang Jingyi, Tang Ziting, Jia Saiqi and Li Shuangfei starting lineup.
Against the Japanese team, the Chinese college women's basketball team was still a little nervous at the start. Li Shuangfei, a one-stop player running through the court, missed the basket at the last moment of the layup. Tang Ziting became the key figure for the team to open the situation. She hit three consecutive three-pointers in the first quarter, giving the Chinese team a 13-5 lead.
The Japanese team did not make the first three-pointer until 4 minutes and 30 seconds left in the first quarter, but the three-point threat of the Japanese team still made the Chinese women's basketball team quite afraid, and there were two three-point fouls in a single quarter. After the first quarter, the Chinese college women's basketball team led the Japanese team 28-25.
The intensity of the confrontation between the two sides was very fierce. When the Japanese team fell off the field, they once knocked down the advertising board on the sidelines. After the start of the second quarter, the Chinese team played an 8-0 scoring climax. After a timeout, the Japanese women's basketball team began to press hard, forcing the Chinese team to make more outside mistakes and still cling to the point difference.
It was Liu Yutong who came off the bench to change the situation on the field. She scored 8 points in a row at the end of the second quarter. At that time, the coach Li Sunnan wanted to replace Han Xu, but when he saw Liu Yutong hit consecutive inside shots, Han Xu jumped up from the bench and walked back to the bench.
In the first half when Han Xu was double-teamed, Liu Yutong scored 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting. It is worth mentioning that Liu Yutong once sprained his left foot in the game against Brazil, and the ligament was slightly torn. In the previous four games, Liu Yutong only scored in double figures against Chinese Taipei, scoring 11 points.
The two sides fought fiercely until the last moment
At the end of the half, the Chinese team opened the score to 53-44, but the Japanese team did not give up.
At the beginning of the third quarter, Han Xu, who was double-teamed, did not choose a low position to force, but chose a long shot from the outside and made two consecutive three-pointers. The Chinese team led by up to 15 points. At this time, the Japanese women's basketball team speeded up again, continuously creating opportunities for chasing and counterattacking. Under a wave of 11-0 offensive climax, the Japanese team chased the point difference to only 4 points.
There is no doubt that whoever can drag the opponent into his own rhythm in this game will be able to take the initiative in the game. In the first half, the Chinese college women's basketball team grabbed 29 rebounds and 11 offensive rebounds, while the Japanese women's basketball team only grabbed 13 rebounds in the half. The difference in height and rebound control between the two sides is visible to the naked eye.
However, when the Japanese team pressed hard and hit consecutive three-pointers from the outside, the point difference between the two sides was gradually eroded. After three quarters, the Chinese college women's basketball team only led 76-73.
Entering the decisive battle in the fourth quarter, the Japanese team continued to chase points tenaciously, but the Chinese team also tensed up and always maintained the lead in the score.
The tug-of-war between the two sides lasted until the end of the game. At the critical moment, the Chinese team maintained their advantage through consecutive three-point shots and decisive breakthrough layups, and further expanded the point difference to double digits, and finally won the game smoothly .
Chinese female basketball should never be underestimated!
