Team China beat Cameroon to finish 13th at FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup, USA lift title

Team China narrowly beat Cameroon 81-77 to finish 13th at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup in Lausanne on Sunday with a 2-5 record.

China led 41-40 going into halftime. After the break, Cameroon gained a 5-point advantage, but Chen Jiazheng and Zhang Boyuan kept China in the game with three-pointers. China trailed 60-58 by the end of the third quarter.

In the final quarter, China went on a 5-0 run to take the lead. However, a critical screening foul by China allowed Cameroon's Gedeon Basson to score 5 points on a field goal plus free throws.

In the closing moments, Zhang was called for a foul but he redeemed himself by drawing a foul and making both free throws. China ultimately won to place 13th out of 16 teams in the tournament.

The 16 teams were divided into four groups. China finished last in Group B with losses to Canada, Germany, and Slovenia. They then fell to New Zealand in the round of 16, missing the quarterfinals and entering the 9th-16th classification.

China lost their first classification game to France to enter the 13th-16th classification round, where they defeated Jordan 97-78 for their first win in the tournament, before they secured a 13th-placed finish with the victory against Cameroon.

Meanwhile, USA defeated Germany 109-76 to claim the team's ninth title at the event. USA's AJ Dybantsa was named the MVP (Most Valuable Player) of the tournament, averaging 14.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. USA won all seven of their games, averaging 114.6 points per game, which set a new tournament record.

Their toughest challenge came in the quarterfinals against Canada, where they came from behind to win by six points. They then crushed New Zealand by 56 points to set up the final with Germany.

The American team fell behind early 16-9, but after regrouping, they went on an offensive surge and led by 9 points by halftime, before unleashing a 22-2 run in the third quarter that sent them all the way to victory.