Team China beat Team Chinese Taipei 95-80 in their last group game at the FIBA Asia Cup in Jakarta, Indonesia on Saturday, bouncing back from their unexpected loss to South Korea with two straight victories and advancing to the elimination stage.

Zhao Rui, who scored 15 points, four rebounds, six assists and three steals for China in Saturday's game, told reporters that he felt the team's attitude was different from the previous games. He said he could tell that everyone had better energy and a stronger will to win.

China had been struggling against South Korea and Bahrain partly because many of their players were in poor form because of COVID-19. Though they ceased to test positive, they still had to battle the various symptoms, including fever and coughing. The players' poor health meant they could not attend regular training sessions, which affected their stamina.

Fortunately for the team, their health and stamina improved with time. 

"Everybody is feeling better and better. I think the team's form has been improving too," Zhao said. "Every game matters to us. I hope we can perform well in the following competitions."

Though the result was a 15-point win, the game against Chinese Taipei exposed some of China's problems. When the players remained focused like they did in the first and fourth quarters, China outmatched its opponents in almost everything. They created open shots with timely passing, contained fast breaks by returning to defense quickly and made the right choices in defending screen plays.

However, China's players were only focused for half of the game, which saw their lead shrink fast in front of waves of fast breaks by Chinese Taipei, which didn't send all of their best players to Saturday's game.

Having entered the elimination stage as second in the group, China will play against Indonesia for a spot in the quarterfinals. The host team is not a traditional basketball powerhouse in Asia, but they will be well motivated to do their best because they need to reach the quarterfinals in the Asia Cup to qualify for the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2023.

"I think it may be difficult to play against Indonesia," Zhao said. "They are a great team and playing at home with a lot of supporters. It can be a big challenge to us. So, we will do what we do the best and spare no efforts on the court."

If China beat Indonesia, their opponent in the quarterfinals will be Lebanon, which upset both New Zealand and the Philippines to lead in Group D.