China falls 80-76 to Republic of Korea in FIBA World Cup Asia qualifiers

China opened their Asian qualifiers for the 2027 FIBA World Cup with an 80-76 home loss to the Republic of Korea. The Chinese team was without captain Zhao Rui due to injury, and Zhou Qi opened the scoring for the home side with a jumper.

Zhu Junlong missed a shot, and An Youngjun grabbed the rebound. The Republic of Korea took a 24-16 lead after the first quarter. Lee Hyun-jung then sank a triple to extend their lead to 12 points. By halftime, the visitors had built a 47-34 advantage.

In the third quarter, Hu Mingxuan found Hu Jinqiu for a lay-up, with China trailing 34-51. Hu Mingxuan later assisted Gao Shiyan for a corner triple as China improved its defense. Byeon Junhyeong missed a triple at the end of the third quarter, while Zhu Junlong drove in to narrow the gap to 11 points.

Lee Junghyun fed An Yongjun for a triple, contributing to the visitors' total of 14 three-pointers on the day. Zhang Zhenlin's free throw cut the Republic of Korea's lead to three points. China outscored its opponents 24-19 in the fourth quarter, but the Republic of Korea was the stronger team overall and closed out a four-point win.

Lee Hyun-jung scored a game-high 33 points, including nine triples.