China falls to New Zealand in final World Cup Qualifying warmup game

China wrapped up its preparations for the next phase of 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifying with an 84-77 loss to New Zealand in the Shunde District of Foshan, south China's Guangdong Province, on Monday.

The home team struggled on the boards against the Tall Blacks, who won the rebounding battle 47-32, including 18 of the offensive end. China coach Guo Shiqiang pointed to the disparity in rebounding as one of the decisive factors in the defeat.

Liao Sanning led the hosts with 17 points, while Jiao Boqiao contributed 14 and Hu Jinqiu added 13. New Zealand was paced by veteran guard Corey Webster with 17 points, while James Moors posted a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds.

The visitors arrived with an inexperienced 11-man squad, as they also gear up for the second round of World Cup Qualifying. Jordan Ngatai was the only member of the group to have taken the court in the first three qualifying windows.

Ngatai said the squad had only been finalized five days before the game, training together only four or five times. He praised the younger players for their display and estimated that three members of the group could earn places in New Zealand's squad for the upcoming qualifiers.

China had difficulty slowing down 37-year-old Webster, who boasts extensive international experience and was New Zealand's leading scorer at both the 2014 and 2019 editions of the FIBA World Cup.

Hu explained that the intensity maintained by New Zealand throughout the game provided China with valuable lessons before returning to competitive action.

Monday's defeat left China with a 1-2 record from its three warmup games. Guo's men opened the series with an 83-78 victory over Uruguay, before losing the second meeting against the South American side 91-72.

China will now turn its attention to the second round of the Asian Qualifying and take a 3-3 record into Group F. The squad will visit Qatar on August 27, before hosting Lebanon on August 31.

The results from the opening round carry over into the next stage, with China grouped alongside Lebanon, Japan, Qatar, the Republic of Korea and Saudi Arabia. Each team will play six more qualifiers across three windows, as the battle for places at the 2027 FIBA World Cup.