China Beats Jordan 88-79 In 2019 Basketball World Cup Qualifier

Host China came from behind to beat Jordan 88-79 at the second group stage of the 2019 Basketball World Cup Asian qualifiers here on Monday.

BEIJING, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Sep, 2018 ) :Host China came from behind to beat Jordan 88-79 at the second group stage of the 2019 Basketball World Cup Asian qualifiers here on Monday.

Once lagging behind 21-7, the Asian powerhouse made full use of their height and size in the paint to turn over the table by dominating the final period.

Prior to the match, China has lost three straight games. What's more, they played without top scorer Yi Jianlian and point guard Guo Ailun.

And Monday was the day when the Chinese Basketball Association hosted a 10-year anniversary on 2008 Olympics, where both China's men's and women's basketball teams finished top eight.

"Ten-year is a long time, but I'm still here, though with a different status," said the 37-year-old head coach Du Feng, who was then a member of the team, "It's great to witness the growth of the young players." Captain Wu Qian scored a team-high 17 points for China and Center Han Dejun added 16 points, with Hu Jinqiu and Zhou Peng contributing 14 points apiece.

However, neither side played well from the arc as China converted seven out of their 25 three-pointers and Jordan only made a pair of 3-pointers.

Jordan entered the second half with a 6-point advantage, only to see China overtake the lead during the middle of the third quarter. Dar Tucker led Jordan to deliver a 11-2 spurt before China replied with a 7-0 spree.

The hosts started the final quarter 14-1 and Jordan couldn't find any way back since then.

Tucker had a game-high 23 points for Jordan while Al Dwairi added 21 points.

Zaid Ahmed Abbas, who was fouled out after taking 16 points, blamed the referees at the post-game press briefing.

"It's a close and good game which we could have won," said Abbas. "The referees did a horrible job and they should let the players to decide the game, not the referees."Both Abbas and Dwairi were booked out after five personal fouls each. During the next round, China will face Syria while Jordan play New Zealand.