China lost to Australia 18-17 in the final of the latest stop of the FIBA 3x3 Women's Series in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, on Saturday.

Two of China's players, Wan Jiyuan and Zhang Zhiting participated in the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021. The other two, Chen Mingling and Chen Yujie, played at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, in 2023.

Only Chen Yujie of the four was a perimeter player. It's rare for a team to have a lineup like this in 3x3 basketball. China's poor shooting form was one of the main reasons behind their loss to Australia, despite their rebounding advantage.

"We didn't have a reasonable squad and lacked enough " China's coach Xu Jiamin said after the game. "We chose an extreme style of playing in Chengdu. Of all injured players, Chen Yujie recovered the fastest. That's why we chose this roster."

Despite the loss, Xu was glad to see that her players were motivated to work harder after trailing in Saturday's game. She also praised their fighting will.

Moreover, though Xu admitted that the lineup was extreme, she won't rule out the possibility of using it at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris. "There is now regular, inflexible squad that can beat everyone in 3x3 basketball," Xu said. "It's always about specific players. The team's system and style can be redesigned based on the players."

China secured the 3x3 basketball women's bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Wang Lili, who was one of the team's members, may return in the next stop of the series in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province at the end of June.