China's Zhou Qi (C) battles for a rebound during their clash with Indonesia during the FIBA Asia Cup at the Istora Senayan Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia, July 18, 2022. /CFP
China booked their place in the quarterfinals of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Asian Cup as the 16-time champions delivered a masterclass at the Istora Senayan Stadium in Jakarta with a 50-point win over Indonesia on Monday night.
The 108-58 rout came on the heels of Saturday's comprehensive victory over Chinese Taipei, who suffered an early exit from the tournament following a devastating one-point loss to Jordan later in the day.
Featuring a star-studded lineup that included former NBA player Zhou Qi, the Chinese outclassed the Indonesians in all departments.
China's Zhao Rui (R) dribbles the ball against Indonesia during the FIBA Asia Cup at the Istora Senayan Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia, July 18, 2022. /CFP
Zhou, who currently plies his trade for South East Melbourne Phoenix of Australasia's National Basketball League, churned out 13 points and 9 rebounds, while four of his teammates scored in double figures.
Indonesia kept pace with China early, trailing by only 5 points in the opening period, but the Asian behemoth pulled away to build a comfortable 59-21 cushion at halftime of the lopsided encounter.
China didn't take their foot off the pedal after the interval and forced the Indonesians to cough up several turnovers in the final stage of the game.
China's Gu Quan holds a trophy of MVP (most valuable player) for the match against Indonesia during the FIBA Asia Cup at the Istora Senayan Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia, July 18, 2022. /CFP
Gu Quan was the star of the tie for the Chinese side, leading the pack with 23 points, including five three-pointers. Hu Mingxuan notched 14 points, Zhao Rui put up 13 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists, while Xu Jie added 11 points.
Marques Bolden showed the way for Indonesia with 21 points and 6 rebounds, but lacked offensive support to stem the flow of China's overwhelming threat on the counter.
In his post-match press conference, China coach Du Feng took time to laud the overall effort of his squad. "All the players are working very hard tonight. Really all credit to them, it's absolutely outstanding," he beamed.
China will face a sterner test on Wednesday against high-flying Lebanon, who earned their quarters berth with a scintillating 104-63 win over India on Sunday.
China coach Du Feng during the match against Indonesia at the FIBA Asia Cup at Istora Senayan Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia, July 18, 2022. /CFP
As for Indonesia, their latest setback means Milos Pejic's team have failed to reach the last eight of the Asian Cup and therefore missed out on next year's World Cup, which the country will co-host with Japan and the Philippines.
"We don't want to be sad now," Pejic told reporters. "We don't want to be disappointed now. We want to continue our program. We want to continue our hard work."
"After a couple of months, maybe one year, of hard work, we can say we did a great job. We represented Indonesia basketball the right way," he added. "We don't want to stop now. We just made one step. Every big goal starts with one small step."