China defied expectations and pulled the rug from under home team South Korea, beating them 92-81, in their 2019 World Cup Asian Qualifiers encounter in Goyang Gymnasium.
Coach Li Nan's red team representing China had thrashed Chinese Hong Kong 96-44 in their opener, and were looking to maintain that momentum, with CBA Domestic MVP Ding Yanyuhang leading the way. He sank a team-high 4 triples, lead all scorers in this game with 30 points, while Wang Zhelin added 16 points and 11 rebounds. Wingman Sun Minghui also impressed, scoring 21 points.
Li Nan during the game.Photo via FIBA.com
Li Nan during the game.Photo via FIBA.com
As for South Korea, it was a sorry defeat in front of their home fans a couple of days after they upset New Zealand. Heo Hoon and Lee JungHyun paced the hosts with 16 and 14 points respectively.
Both teams return to action in the second window of the Asian Qualifiers, with China hosting New Zealand on February 23, 2018.